Should the City of Lakeland install more red-light cameras?

Lakeland considering more red-light cameras

Lakeland police say they believe more red-light cameras are needed as traffic increases in the area.

LAKELAND, Fla. - As more people move to Lakeland and traffic increases, city officials, including police, are discussing whether to install more red-light cameras.

The city currently has 19 red-light cameras. The latest camera was installed at George Jenkins Boulevard and Kathleen Road.

"With that intersection we had several severe angle crashes," said Hans Lehman, the department's Assistant Chief and Head of the Traffic Division. "One of them was one of our officers responding to a call where he was T-boned. Thankfully, he was okay, but we've had several bad crashes there. With that red light camera there, they have gone down some."

The city provided FOX 13 with a video compilation of recent incidents that show drivers blowing through red lights causing near misses and crashes.

From July 1, 2023, to June 30 of this year, there were 26,365 notices of violations issued.

Lehman says the number of violations has increased every year over the last several years because there's more traffic in town.

Each ticket costs $158:

$75 goes to the City of Lakeland
$70 goes to the State of Florida
$10 goes to Local Trauma Units
$3 goes to Miami Project to Cure Paralysis
$0 goes to Lakeland PD

The cameras generated $3,311,008 in revenue from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, of which $1,495,192 went to the State of Florida, and $1,200,000 went to the city's administration fees and expenses and general fund, but Lehman says it's not just about the money; the cameras do make the community safer.

READ: Man arrested after leading deputies on pursuit from Polk County reaching 130+ mph

"When you hit somebody's pocketbook, normally that gets their attention," said Lehman. "Our recidivism rate is upwards of 80%, so they do it once and they normally don't do it again and that's what we're trying to get: compliance."

Lehman believes more cameras are needed and the possibility will be discussed during an upcoming city council workshop on Nov. 15. Lakeland police will also be discussing whether to add school speed zone cameras.

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