Red-light cameras coming to Palatine

Later this year, some Palatine intersections will be equipped with red-light cameras.

On Monday, village councilmen unanimously voted to hire Lombard-based RedSpeed to be the vendor for such cameras, which will catch people speeding through red lights.

"This is about traffic safety for us," said Village Manager Reid Ottesen. "It's not a revenue generator."

Specific intersections are not chosen yet, but officials expect that three or four will be initially targeted. The cameras could be up by late spring or early summer.

It's difficult for officers to enforce red lights, according to Police Chief John Koziol. When there's a busy intersection like Rand and Dundee roads, the officer can become more of a problem than a solution when stopping people, he said.

When a vehicle crosses the stop line after the signal has turned red, the camera is triggered. The fine will be $100 and fall in the civil penalty category, like a parking ticket, according to Palatine officials.

The village will pay a monthly maintenance fee of $1,499 per camera.

Palatine officials say they chose RedSpeed because the company is doing a lot of work in neighboring municipalities. Also, people can go online if they get a ticket and watch a video of the car running a red light.

"We think this is something that will enhance vehicle safety and pedestrian safety," said Ottesen.

Selected intersections will have notices put up before the cameras are installed.