Testimony Resumes In Traffic Camera Case

Witness Says Camera Maker More Interested In Money Than Safety

SAN DIEGO -- The company that operates the red-light enforcement program for the city of San Diego was more interested in making money than increasing safety at intersections, according to a former employee.

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Lawyer defending red light camera cases:
Christopher Plourd
1168 Union St.
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 615-6200

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Ronald Arnone, who worked at Lockheed Martin in Washington, D.C. for 17 months before leaving last December, testified Thursday that the company had him look for possible sites for installation of red-light cameras, where there would be a heavy volume of traffic.

"They were intersections that were going to provide a lot of tickets," Arnone said in a hearing in which defense lawyers were trying to get 290 tickets dismissed.

The fine for running a red light in San Diego is $271, one of the steepest in the country. Lockheed Martin gets $70 for each ticket paid.

Lockheed Martin and the city of San Diego made $1.75 million each on the nearly 44,000 tickets generated between July 1, 1999, and June 30, 2000.

All 19 red-light cameras in the city of San Diego have been shut down while an inspection of the entire system is completed.

Attorneys for the defendants are asking Superior Court Judge Ronald Styn to shut down the red-light camera program permanently and throw out all tickets already issued.

Arnone testified that the red-light cameras were normally put in at intersections with a downhill slope where motorists couldn't or wouldn't stop.

Arnone said that during his employment with Lockheed Martin, he saw many drivers slam on their brakes when they realized a red-light camera was in the intersection they were going through.

Attorneys for the defendants said that the red-light camera program is being run illegally by a private firm, which violates state and federal laws.

Attorney Arthur Tait III, part of the "Red Light Camera Defense Team," said that the program represents a violation of police power, because it is being operated for money, not safety.

On Monday, Superior Court Judge Wayne Peterson dismissed all pending red-light camera citations at three San Diego intersections where problems were found at:

H and F Streets, Downtown

Black Mountain Road and Mira Mesa Boulevard, Mira Mesa

Ingraham Street and Garnet Avenue, Pacific Beach

Police determined that underground sensors, which measure where the vehicle is when the light turned red, were moved by Lockheed Martin.

If you'd like more detailed information on the red light cameras, you can call the city information line at (619) 533-5604.

Here is a list of red light camera locations throughout the county, courtesy of PowayOnline.net:

City Of San Diego Camera Locations

College Area

Downtown

Kearny Mesa

Mira Mesa/Miramar

Mission Beach/Pacific Beach