Schaumburg will test, then install cameras

Just a day after Palatine did the same, Schaumburg officials Tuesday approved a contract for the installation of cameras to catch motorists running red lights.

In Schaumburg's case, the program will begin with a single intersection -- at Meacham and Woodfield roads -- to test the effectiveness of the system.

Schaumburg Director of Police Richard Casler said this intersection is among the most prone to accidents and red-light violators in the village.

The police department ultimately would like to see cameras at the village's top 10 intersections for accidents but wants to start by seeing how the first works out, Casler said

Trustee George Dunham, who chairs the village's public safety committee, said he was reluctantly persuaded of the need for such cameras.

"In a perfect world I'd rather we not have to do this, but people are driving carelessly, especially at rush hour," Dunham said.

Another reason the intersection of Meacham and Woodfield roads was the first chosen for the cameras was that it's entirely in the village's jurisdiction, Village Manager Ken Fritz said.

Many of the other problematic intersections in Schaumburg also require either county or state approval to install the cameras, he explained.

Though getting such approval shouldn't be too difficult, the village wanted to test the cameras without first having to seek a permit from another agency, Fritz said.

Schaumburg's contract for the cameras is with Maryland-based Traffipax Inc. The monthly service fee for the system will be $3,900, which will be at least partially repaid by each of the $100 tickets issued to the violators.

Officials Tuesday couldn't say precisely how long it would take for the cameras to be installed at the first intersection, or when they would feel ready to add other intersections to the program.

Fritz said the village board must still give approval for more cameras, and they wouldn't be left entirely to staff's discretion.