Lake in the Hills candidates debate adding traffic cameras

Does Lake in the Hills need more red-light cameras?

It depends on who you ask.

The two incumbents running for three village trustee seats say they'd love to see more cameras in town.

One challenger is taking the wait-and-see approach, while two others aren't sure the cameras were necessary to begin with.

Right now, cameras catch red-light runners at three intersections: Randall and Miller roads, Hilltop and Algonquin roads and the northbound lane of Randall Road at Acorn Lane.

Ideally, incumbents Steve Harlfinger and Bob Huckins say red-light cameras also should photograph Lakewood and Algonquin roads, Rakow and Pyott roads, Algonquin and Pyott roads and the southbound lanes of Randall Road at Acorn.

"You can't put a price on safety," Harlfinger said.

But challenger Denise Baretto said the village should have detailed the number of accidents recorded at Randall and Miller roads and Algonquin and Hilltop roads before going forward with renting cameras there -- the village pays $4,495 a month per camera.

"I don't think it's prevented any accidents from happening," Baretto said.

Moreover, challenger Joe Wright doubts the cameras were necessary in the first place.

"I think it's an easy one to touch on people's emotions ... but I just don't think the need for that was there," Wright said.

Huckins disagrees with that notion and points to studies he says prove the cameras could help cut down on accidents at the busy intersections.

"It was clear from the beginning that there was a need," Huckins said.

Challenger Shelly Forte would support additional cameras in the village if research shows they're warranted at other intersections.

"It's just one more proactive step the village can take to ensure the overall safety," Forte said of additional cameras.

Police say 2008 figures at Randall Road and Acorn Lane show a 62 percent decline in the number of $100 red-light tickets they issued in 2007.

Similar statistics are not yet available for the other two cameras, as they went live late last year.

Finally, challenger Jeffrey Siegel said he'd need to see how effective the existing cameras are before he'd support installing more.

"I wouldn't add red-light cameras just to add them," he said. "There needs to be a specific need for them, I think."