WKSU News: Voter rejection of red-light cameras means budget and police shuffle

Wednesday, November 5, 2014 Voter rejection of red-light cameras means budget and police shuffle Cleveland officials will need to replace millions in annual revenue and redeploy police for traffic enforcement after ballot issue win by WKSU's KEVIN NIEDERMIER	Reporter Kevin Niedermier

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson is deciding how to replace the revenue and traffic safety enforcement the city is losing after voters approved essentially a ban on the red-light camera system.

Cleveland shut down the automated ticketing devices after Tuesday’s vote. The issue would require a police officer at each camera.

Jackson says losing the cameras will cost the city about $6 million a year in annual revenue, which will have to be made up with budget cuts. He says none of the cuts will come from programs for children. And he says police officers may have to be reassigned.

LISTEN: No cameras, now what?

Other options:

MP3 Download (0:23)

“If I take them out of enforcement for gun suppression and put them at a school zone or traffic light, do I take them out of responding to just 911? These are the kinds of deployment issues we’re going to have to resolve. But what I’m saying is that there will be a reduction in coverage for traffic safety.”

Jackson says the city cannot afford the $19 million it would take to replace all the cameras with police officers. He adds that the city law department is looking into the contract agreement with the camera company to see if Cleveland will be stuck paying to shut down the devices.