Cameras are being installed on five of Davenport’s most dangerous intersections to catch red-light-runners in the act. Davenport police Lieutenant Don Gano (GAY-no) says it’s a high-tech system that’s been tested elsewhere in the U-S but this is the first time it’s been installed in Iowa. Three of the five intersections are ready to go “live” now and the other two should be ready by Thursday. Lieutenant Gano explains how the system of cameras will work. When a vehicle enters the intersection after the light turns red, one camera will take a picture of the entire intersection while a second camera captures the offending vehicle’s license plate on film. The plate will be traced and the vehicle’s owner will be sent a “notice of violation” in the mail, along with a 65-dollar fine. Gano says the city’s not looking to make a lot of money off this system — it’s an effort to save lives and prevent injuries. Each of the five intersections has had at least six red-light-running crashes each year for the past several years. A state D-O-T study found in a three-year period, red light violation crashes in Davenport resulted in one death, 583 injuries and more than 11-million dollars in property damage. The cameras are being mounted at Division and 4th Street, Harrison and 35th Street, Brady and Kimberly, Welcome Way and Kimberly and Elmore and Kimberly.
