32 ticketed in first day of Algonquin traffic cam

An unwelcome gift from Santa is inbound this week for a few unlucky motorists caught on camera blowing through a pair of red lights in Algonquin.

Nestled among Christmas cards and other holiday greetings will be $100 tickets, courtesy of the Algonquin Police Department.

Last Monday, red light cameras situated at the intersection of Randall and Algonquin roads and Bunker Hill Drive and Randall Road, began tracking which drivers disobeyed the red light.

You can count on finding a ticket in your mailbox if the camera catches you pulling into an intersection after the light turns red - the entire vehicle needs to be over the line in order for you to get ticketed.

The first day yielded a total of 32 tickets, said Sgt. Wade Merritt, head of the department's traffic division.

Eighteen tickets are in store for drivers running the light at Randall and Algonquin roads, where there are two cameras.

Police approved mailing another 14 tickets to motorists who crossed the line at Bunker Hill Drive and Randall Road.

The camera at Route 31 and Route 62 remains under construction, but is due to start sending out tickets on Dec. 22. The three intersections log the most accidents in town.

In keeping with the spirit of giving, police gave a break to a total of six "lucky souls" that Monday, the same day the area experienced its first significant snowfall of the season, Merritt said.

"With the snowy weather, they ended up stopping just past the stop line," he said. "They tried."

A 30-day grace period in which scofflaws received warning tickets, preceded the actual tickets.

Using the cameras' footage, officers decide who is charged $100 for violating the law.

Lake in the Hills, meanwhile, got off to a late start with its two new red-light cameras.

They were supposed to start issuing citations the day after Thanksgiving, but a miscommunication with the McHenry County Highway Department postponed their debut.

"We want to make sure that the public gets their full 30 days of warnings, so we moved the date, which I don't think anyone will complain about," said Sgt. Robert Harper.

Now, the one at Randall and Miller roads will begin ticketing Wednesday.

The camera at Algonquin and Hilltop roads went live on Friday.

Friday's figures aren't yet available, Harper said.

Still, camera time doesn't come cheap.

In both town's cases, money generated from the tickets will help offset the costs of renting them.

Algonquin pays $4,950 a month for each of its four cameras, while Lake in the Hills, which also has them in place at Acorn Lane and Randall Road, forks over $4,500 a month for all three of its cameras.

"So we're not making hand over fist here like people might think," Harper said. "It's more to keep people from running red lights and keeping the intersection safer."

Meanwhile, Algonquin's Merritt is bracing himself for the angry phone calls that will coincide with the first batch of tickets.

But he has a few words of advice.

"Don't go through a red light and you won't get presents from us," he said.