EDITORIAL: Speed cameras and automated citations can foster safer roads in the Metro

In a significant move to combat dangerous driving and improve road safety, Bernalillo County has made a wise decision joining the city of Albuquerque’s Automated Speed Enforcement initiative.

The city-county network now has 30 monitoring devices in the Metro, strategically positioned across what city and county officials have identified as the most hazardous streets in the Metro. With six more county cameras in the works, the collaboration is a crucial step toward reducing traffic-related injuries and fatalities.

The director of operations and maintenance for Bernalillo County, Antonio Jaramillo, expressed his aspirations for the Automated Speed Enforcement initiative. His department’s primary goal is to fundamentally change the mentality of drivers in the Metro, and we wish him nothing but success in that endeavor. We receive letters to the editor practically every week complaining about aggressive and dangerous drivers in Albuquerque. Clearly, residents want something done about it.

The emphasis on changing driver behavior underscores the shared recognition that technological solutions alone are not enough; a shift in public attitude toward road safety is essential for long-term improvement.

The city currently holds the unenviable distinction of being the second-deadliest city in the United States in terms of traffic-related fatalities. This alarming statistic is not a recent development; traffic fatality rates in Albuquerque have seen a disturbing upward trend, nearly doubling over the past decade.

The city began enforcing the ASE system on Sept. 25, 2022. It’s important to note that the ASE system is not intended to replace human law enforcement officers across the city. Instead, it serves as a complementary tool, allowing in-person officers to focus on other pressing crimes and issues facing the community while the automated system manages speeding violations.

The city partnered with contractor NovoaGlobal of Florida, which receives a flat fee of $7,900 per camera/per month, preventing any “policing for profit.” However, the county system lacks such guardrails. The county’s vendor, Altumint of Maryland, receives $25 from every citation issued, running the risk of policing for profit. County leaders now and in the future need to avoid the temptation of using their new speed cameras as a money-maker.

“This isn’t meant to be a money generator,” said interim Bernalillo County Manager Shirley Ragin. “It’s for safety and is something that our streets really need.”

Between April 25, 2022, and May 20, 2024, the city issued 213,293 citations through the automated system. This high number of citations highlights the prevalence of speeding in the city and the pressing need for intervention.

To encourage compliance and provide options for violators, the city and county are offering two paths for addressing citations: paying a $100 fine or opting for a reduced fine of $25 coupled with four hours of community service. This flexible approach aims to apply pressure on drivers to reduce their speeds while also offering a more accessible option for those who may have difficulties paying the full fine. It’s a fair and balanced approach.

A total of 9,331 community service hours — or about 2,332 people working for four hours — have been completed since the city program started. A bar graph can be found on the city of Albuquerque’s website, which staff updates every Monday.

The cameras are relatively simple in how they work. The cameras are triggered by drivers going 10 mph over the posted limits, or when erratic driving is detected. The footage is then reviewed by a real person prior to issuing the proper citation to ensure accurate citations. Human supervision is another crucial guardrail to ensure accuracy and fairness. This human oversight helps to prevent false positives and ensures that citations are issued only for clear violations.

“Families all across our city are safer when everyone follows the speed limit,” said Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller. “In these critical zones, our Automated Speed Enforcement program is making a measurable difference and slowing down drivers.”

What could the future of this program mean?

While the ultimate goal should be to increase the presence of human law enforcement officers all across the city, the automated system provides a valuable stopgap measure and serves as a force-multiplier. We hope in time we will see officers added to the force being the ones catching speeding cars and handing out tickets. There’s no substitute for human interaction when it comes to policing.

In the meantime, the speed cameras effectively multiply the safety coverage across the Metro, allowing human officers to focus on other critical policing duties, such as the alarming spike in homicides we’ve seen in the past couple of weeks.

As the Metro continues to grapple with its traffic safety challenges, the speed camera program represents a step toward creating safer roads. In an ideal world, police would be issuing tickets directly to drivers, as opposed to an automated system mailing citations to the owners of registered vehicles. But Albuquerque’s streets are anything but ideal.

City officials and safety advocates stress that driving is a privilege, not a right, and we agree. With that privilege comes the responsibility to adhere to traffic laws and not put other drivers in danger.

As Albuquerque and Bernalillo County move forward with their comprehensive approaches to road safety, the hope is that a combination of technology, enforcement, and community engagement will lead to a significant reduction in traffic-related fatalities and injuries.