Red Light Camera Firm Pulls Plug on Jefferson County Contract

American Traffic Solutions, the company that installs and maintains red light cameras in Arnold, says politics was the reason it terminated a contract with Jefferson County.

In a Feb. 8 letter to Jefferson County Administrator Stephen Stoll, ATS vice president Jason Norton said the company’s decision was a result of  actions by the Jefferson County Council.

“It is disappointing when elected officials put politics before public safety,” said ATS spokesman Charles Territo in a phone interview.” 

The new seven-person Jefferson County Council took office Jan. 1. Among its first actions was to draft a letter urging Missouri Rep. Ryan McKenna to push for legislation banning red light cameras in the state. Automatic cameras photograph vehicles that fail to stop at red lights. A ticket is sent are sent to the person to whom the vehicle is registered. There are four intersections in Arnold equipped with red light cameras.

ATS’ Norton says the Jefferson County Council took four actions that show it wants to break a five-year contract signed by the previous county government last September.

Norton said the county council ordered work stopped on the contract on Jan. 6, voted Jan. 24 to repeal its red light safety camera ordinance and terminated an agreement with the Missouri Department of Transportation. Norton also said the county council violated the Missouri Sunshine Law when it did not tell the public about a meeting to discuss a ban on red light cameras on county roads.  

“It is also unfortunate that the Jefferson County Council would ignore their own law enforcement officials, who believe red light safety cameras are a key component of an effective traffic safety program to protect the public,” Norton said. “It has become obvious from the Jefferson County Council’s recent actions that they do not.” 

Jefferson County Sheriff Oliver “Glenn” Boyer has said the red light cameras reduce the number of injury-related accidents.

Territo said the victims of traffic violations are people who are hospitalized, maimed or killed in car wrecks because someone ran a red light. 

The ATS decision to pull the plug on its Jefferson County agreement has no affect on its contract and upcoming renewal negotiations with the City of Arnold, Territo said.  

“The contract only affects the installation of red light cameras on (Jefferson) county roads,” he said.  

The Arnold contract with ATS will expire on May 31.

County Council members Bob Boyer, of Arnold, and Don Bickowski, of High Ridge, did not return phone calls seeking comment on the ATS decision.

Some information for this story was provided by Dan Barger