Buffalo Grove to receive red-light camera report

The Buffalo Grove Village Board, which has talked about installing red-light cameras from time-to-time over the last two-and-a-half years, is expected to receive a report from village staff on the issue at its Feb. 22 meeting. The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m.

Village Manager William Brimm said the matter is on the preliminary agenda for that meeting. No official action is likely to be taken.

The last direction came from the board in October, when staff was directed to finish what Brimm called the "soft elements" of project engineering and safety reviews of intersections.

Brimm said the board will receive a report from staff, including a short presentation by the police department, and a report from Gatso USA, a firm that provides red-light cameras.

"We're at the point now as staff that we have done everything we can do," Brimm said. "There isn't any more to study. We need some direction from the board."

While the cameras have proved controversial, the police department has asked the board to consider their installation. While the village in October of 2008 seemed to be moving toward installing cameras at two of nine problem intersections as a test, none has been installed yet.

At a meeting last summer, Buffalo Grove Police Sgt. Michael Szos said red-light violations are the leading cause of accidents at 10 high-crash intersections the village has identified. There are about 200 crashes per year at those intersections - 20 percent to 25 percent of which result in personal injury, he said.