Government Red-Light Runners Cost $8,000 in Houston Fines
HOUSTON, TX – Houston's new red-light cameras nabbed more than 100 government and school vehicles since the enforcement program began last fall, resulting in about $8,000 in fines, police records show.
HOUSTON, TX – Houston’s new red-light cameras nabbed more than 100 government and school vehicles since the enforcement program began last fall, resulting in about $8,000 in fines, police records show, according to the Houston Chronicle. Metro and school buses, police cruisers, and public works trucks were among the vehicles caught running red lights, according to data released under the Texas Public Information Act.
The citations represent a tiny fraction of the 34,000 violators cited since September, but they are unwelcome to the agencies involved and have resulted in disciplinary action against some drivers. At least one agency suspended employees who got citations, and at least two made employees pay for the fines.
So far, the department has flagged nearly 38,000 drivers at intersections with red-light cameras, including 20 police vehicles, resulting in the 34,000 citations.
Metropolitan Transit Authority buses were the most-cited of the taxpayer-owned vehicles in the group, receiving at least 26 violations totaling $1,950, according to the Houston Chronicle. The transit agency required the drivers to pay the $75 fines and suspended them without pay for three days. A second citation can lead to a five-day suspension, and a third can result in dismissal.
Other agency vehicles got $1,050 in citations. The Houston Independent School District received five citations.
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