Two L.A. city councilmen have introduced a motion asking the Police Commission to keep the cameras up and running to better assess the program. Tony Cardenas and Bernard Parks wants to keep the program's operator, American Traffic Solutions, on a month-to-month contract for up to one year.
Last week, the commission voted to end the program, saying it's losing money and judges can't enforce the tickets.
But Cardenas said a recent LAPD study found that collisions at the 32 city intersections with cameras decreased by 64 percent from 2004 and 2009.
He called for the Police Department to study the public safety risk of turning the cameras off. The motion also asks the City Administrative Officer and Chief Legislative Analyst to jointly look at the holes in the program's fee structure and to meet with the Los Angeles Superior Court regarding refusal to impose penalties for red light camera violations.
The commission has until July 31 to extend the /*red light program*/. However, the city council could assert jurisdiction over the commission's decision and save the red light cameras by June 17.
City News Service contributed to this report.
