ANSONIA – Members of the Board of Aldermen voted unanimously July 14 to allow the Ansonia Police Department to install speed cameras in the city.
The vote also gives police a green light to install red light cameras, although no red light cameras are being considered at this time.
The Aldermen’s move happened after a public hearing during which six residents said they support the cameras, but wanted assurances their privacy would be protected.
Cam Controversy
Law enforcement has entered a new phase in the U.S., with the use of high-tech cameras to capture traffic violations and an automated system to issue tickets.
However, as the number of communities installing the cameras increase, so do concerns over privacy.
At the center of the controversy are automated license plate readers, such as those designed by the company Flock Safety.
Those cameras record the license plates of every vehicle that passes by. The company says its data helps police follow investigative leads, including hit-and-run cases.
However, critics say the technology – and the fact that a private company runs the cameras – allows police to surveil people while skirting constitutional protections on privacy.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union, the cameras have been used by law enforcement agencies to pursue immigrants without warrants and have caused armed confrontations based on bad license plate readings.
In some places, the conversation has reached a fever pitch. Flock cameras in multiple states have been vandalized and destroyed by people who describe them as ‘Orwellian’ pieces of tech.
Ansonia Police Chief Wayne Williams said the speed cameras being considered are not automated license plate readers. Ansonia police are not currently considering working with Flock, he said.
“Let’s get it out of the way: These are not Flock cameras,” Williams said. “That doesn’t say I don’t like Flock cameras. I’m saying these are not Flock cameras.”
Ansonia police have been talking about speed cameras for most of this year. The Aldermen’s vote July 14 is one step toward getting them installed – but not the final one.
Williams said the department still needs to take the following steps before any cameras can be installed:
- The police department needs to select a vendor to operate the cameras
- Police will need to conduct traffic studies at any locations where they might want to install cameras (traffic studies were previously done, but are now outdated)
- The department will select locations for cameras based on those studies
- A public hearing must be held for any specific locations that police select
- The Aldermen must vote to approve specific camera locations, and finally
- The state Department of Transportation must give their approval for any specific camera locations.
The process could still take months, Williams said. If police wish to expand to more locations after the initial rollout, they must go through the same process again.
The ordinance approved by the Aldermen would also allow police to install red light cameras following the same process. Williams said that, “while red light cameras may follow,” the department isn’t currently looking at installing them. They’re included in the ordinance to save the police department some effort if they decide they want to install them later.
Click here to read the approved ordinance.
Ansonia Residents Ask For Privacy Assurances
Six members of the public spoke during the hearing, mostly in favor of cameras.
The speakers also said they wanted to make sure the program is what it says on the tin. They said they don’t want their data to be collected and sold.
“I definitely don’t want them selling any of it, that definitely should be a nonstarter. If someone is doing illegal with the data, abusing it, then that should be addressed when we get to that point,” said resident Michael Ryan.
Resident Jay French said he wanted privacy protections and limits on data collection written in the ordinance.
“If we’re adopting this ordinance, I would like to see those limits clearly defined, along with strict safeguards against future expansion, the addition of independent audits of data retention and vendor access, (and) a public commitment that this ordinance will not be used as a stepping stone towards broader vehicle surveillance systems without public approval,” French said.
The Aldermen did not edit the ordinance to include French’s suggestions. However, Williams said privacy protections are included in the state law which authorizes speed cams.
Bill Phipps, a member of the planning & zoning commission, said he wanted further information on the costs of implementation and on whether information from the cameras would be sold.
Williams said personally identifiable information from the cameras is protected by the state law and can’t be sold or shared with any outside parties.
In addition, he said the speed cameras capture less information than other devices, such as Flock cameras. The speed cameras capture a single photo of a vehicle when they detect a violation. They do not record video.
As for costs, Williams said the program comes out as a “net zero” for the city. The vendor pays to install the cameras, then recoups the cost through taking a percentage of the fines generated.
Williams said the police department will need to hire a part-time employee to review the fines generated. However, he said the employee’s position will pay for itself through generated fines.
“At the end of the day, you do not pay the vendor. The city will never write a check to the vendor to do this. You’ll write a check to a (city) employee, but that’s because they were viewing it so that you could process this,” Williams said.
Revenue generated by the city in connection to the program is also restricted under state law. The money has to go toward costs associated with running the program, and any additional money has to be directed toward infrastructure and safety improvements.
Resident Andrew Adamczyk said he’s not opposed to the traffic cameras. However, he said he wanted assurance that the program would be focused on safety and not on generating revenue.
“If safety’s the goal, don’t just make it a money grab and a ‘gotcha,’” Adamczyk said.
Williams said the project will be transparent. He said the department won’t be lowering speed limits or changing traffic light timings in order to snag more drivers – concerns which Adamczyk had raised.
“Some towns have lowered the speed limit and then put their cameras up. I think that’s not exactly the fairest thing to do,” Williams said. “We aren’t changing (traffic light) timing, we’re not changing speed limits. We’re basically saying, slow down.”
In addition, Williams said that signs on the roadside will leave no doubt about when a camera is coming up.
“There is very specific signage that has to go up to warn people, ‘Hey, there’s a camera up ahead.’ So it’s basically like you’re giving away the answers to the test. People are still going to fail the test,” Williams said.
People caught speeding will also be able to appeal their fines under the ordinance. Examples of situations where a fine could be erased on appeal include:
- Following a police officer’s direction, for example, when traffic has to be manually directed
- Operating an emergency vehicle in an emergency situation
- Pulling to the side or otherwise getting out of the way for an emergency vehicle
- A traffic light was malfunctioning
- The violation was committed by a vehicle which has been reported stolen.
More Details
Under the ordinance, the cameras would detect a violation when:
- A vehicle exceeds the posted speed limit by more than 10 miles per hour, or
- A vehicle does not stop at a red light.
The penalty for a first offense is capped at $50, with subsequent violations incurring a fine up to $75. A police department employee would need to review the camera-detected violations before authorizing the fine.
For the first 30 days after a camera is installed, no fines will be issued. Instead, drivers could receive a written warning for captured violations. Drivers who receive violations can also appeal them in a hearing at the Ansonia Police Department.
The terms of the ordinance largely match those used in other municipalities which have considered or installed speed cameras. The state began allowing cities to operate speed cameras in 2023.
In Derby, officials have been talking with DARCA, which is the leading provider of speed cam programs in the state.