Oakland's red light cameras might not be dark for very long. Assistant Chief Paul Figueroa said this week that the police department is hoping to revive its red light camera program and would soon be seeking proposals from camera companies. The department abruptly turned off the cameras mounted at 11 intersections last month after hitting a cap on payments to the vendor Redflex Holdings, Figueroa said.
Police had sought a contract extension two years ago, but dropped the request after facing opposition during a meeting of the City Council's Public Safety Committee. Instead, the department continued the contract month-to-month with Redflex until hitting the spending cap in May. Figueroa said that police opted against seeking an extension because a still unresolved accounting issue with the Alameda County courthouse had resulted in reduced ticket revenue and called into question whether the program was paying for itself. Redflex also has had its share of issues. The company has been hit with 31 complaints throughout the state for violating laws requiring that it pay local workers prevailing wages, according to the California Department of Industrial Relations. Oakland police have been withholding payment to Redflex since January over a complaint filed in Oakland, in which the state is seeking payment of $244,347 in wages and penalties. It is too early to say whether the city will be on the hook for that money, said Peter Melton of Department of Industrial Relations. Redflex spokeswoman Jody Ryan said the company had a "good faith dispute" with the state over the applicability of prevailing wage laws to Redflex's contracts. Figueroa said the cameras had reduced collisions at the intersections where they are mounted, but the department last week was unable to provide supporting documentation.
