SAN DIEGO -- San Diego's red-light camera program is illegal because it is run for profit, defense attorneys said Wednesday, but prosecutors argued the program is lawful and an important tool in catching scofflaw motorists.
Attorneys representing 290 people ticketed at one of San Diego's 19 red-light camera intersections are asking Superior Court Judge Ronald Styn to throw out the citations and declare the program to be illegal.
Defense attorneys told the judge that the city of San Diego illegally entered an agreement with a private vendor, Lockheed Martin IMS, to run the red-light photo enforcement program.
Attorneys claim that the program is a violation of police power because it is operated for profit, not for public safety.
"They're profiting based on a very unsafe condition. The unsafe condition existed before the cameras were present," defense attorney Coleen Cusack said. "But the cameras themselves encourage and facilitate this very unsafe condition."
The fine for running a red light at one of the photo enforcement intersections in San Diego is $271, which is set by the state. Lockheed Martin reportedly gets $70 for each ticket paid.
The $271 fine represents one of the steepest tickets in the country.
City: 'It's Totally About Safety'
Deputy City Attorney Linda Peter told the judge that the red-light camera program is supported by police, who don't have the manpower to patrol every intersection in the city.
"It is totally about safety," the prosecutor said. "From the very beginning, it's been about safety."
Officials said that the red-light cameras are used in more than 40 cities across the country, but only in San Diego has the outcry been so strong.
Lockheed Martin and the city of San Diego made $1.75 million each on the nearly 44,000 tickets generated by the red-light program between July 1, 1999, and June 30, 2000.
An ex-Lockheed Martin employee testified on July 5 that his former company normally put the red-light cameras at intersections with a downhill slope where motorists couldn't or wouldn't stop.
Defense attorneys also contended that engineers have shortened the time a yellow light stays on at certain intersections.
The attorneys also claim that the city illegally sends citations to the registered owners of vehicles if they can't make out the driver in the photograph generated by the red-light camera.
All red-light cameras in the city of San Diego have been turned off while an inspection of the entire system is carried out.
Motorists who were issued citations at three intersections where problems were found had their tickets dismissed.
Those intersections are 16th and F streets downtown; Black Mountain Road and Mira Mesa Boulevard; and Ingraham Street and Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach.
Styn said that he would rule on the defense motions soon after receiving additional documents from prosecutors on July 25.
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 College Avenue S/B to E/B Montezuma Road El Cajon Boulevard W/B through 43rd Street
Downtown A Street E/B to 163 Fwy (10 Street) F Street W/B through 16th Street Harbor Drive S/B to E/B Grape Street
Kearny Mesa Aero Drive W/B to S/B Murphy Canyon Road
Mira Mesa/Miramar Black Mountain Road S/B through Gemini Avenue Black Mountain Road S/B to E/B Mira Mesa Boulvevard Mira Mesa Boulevard E/B through Scranton Road Miramar Road W/B through Camino Ruiz
Mission Beach/Pacific Beach Garnet Avenue W/B through Ingraham Street Garnet Avenue E/B to N/B Mission Bay Drive Mission Boulevard S/B through Garnet Avenue Mission Bay Drive N/B to W/B Grand Avenue
Rancho Bernardo/Carmel Mountain Bernardo Center Drive N/B to W/B Rancho Bernardo Road Carmel Mountain Road E/B to N/B Rancho Carmel Drive
San Ysidro Palm Avenue E/B through Beyer Way
South Bay Harbor Drive W/B through 32nd Street
South San Diego Imperial Avenue W/B through Euclid Avenue
University City La Jolla Village Drive W/B to S/B Towne Centre Drive
Additional San Diego County Camera Locations El Cajon Broadway W/B through Mollison Avenue Fletcher Parkway W/B to S/B Magnolia Avenue Fletcher Parkway W/B to S/B Marshall Avenue Fletcher Parkway N/B to W/B Navajo Road Main Street W/B through Mollison Avenue Washington Avenue W/B to S/B El Cajon Boulvevard
Poway Camino Del Norte E/B through Pomerado Road Poway Road W/B through Community Road Poway Road E/B to N/B Pomerado Road Scripps Poway Parkway E/B through Pomerado Road Ted Williams Parkway E/B to N/B Pomerado Road
SOUND OFF: Red Light Cameras: Good Or Bad? Previous Stories: - July 11, 2001: Battle Continues Over Red-Light Cameras
- July 6, 2001: Testimony Resumes In Traffic Camera Case
- July 3, 2001: Pending Camera Tickets Thrown Out
- June 26, 2001: Study: Traffic Cameras Operate To Make Money
- June 14, 2001: Red Light Cameras Turned Off
- June 12, 2001: San Diegans Sue Maker Of Traffic Cameras
- June 5, 2001: Allegations Against Red Light Cameras Mount
- June 3, 2001: Red Light Camera Ticket Hotline Available
- May 31, 2001: Councilmember: Pull Plug On Red Light Cameras
- May 31, 2001: San Diego To Audit Red Light Photo Cameras
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