After a lengthy discussion, the Dallas City Council Wednesday approved a contract with a new vendor for red light cameras in the city.
The council voted 9-6 to enter a 7-year deal with Tempe, Arizona-based American Traffic Solutions. The agreement with the firm could cost up to $17.7 million.
The new contract will reduce the total number of cameras deployed in the city from 60 to 40.
District 14 Council member Philip Kingston was vocal in his opposition of the red light program which he called a, "scientifically disproved program." His speech before the council drew multiple rounds of applause from those in attendance.
"Every peer reviewed study that has looked at red light cameras has found they have either done zero or a negative public safety impact," Kingston said.
Kingston argued that the number of rear-end crashes in the city have likely gone up at intersections with red light cameras, however the city only collects crash data on rear-end crashes if they involve an injury.
"It is an absolute profit grab from the poorest residents of Dallas," Kingston said. "Every place in the world where that these cameras have been exposed to the public interest through a referendum they have been shot down."
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"If you vote for it, you're voting to rob poor people," Kingston said.
Other council members voiced opposition to the deal since American Traffic Solutions did not have any black contractors.
The existing contract with the City of Dallas will expire on May 15.
The issue of red light cameras in North Texas is nothing new with several cities implementing programs. The cameras were also the subject of an NBC 5 Investigation in 2013 that looked at whether the programs were aimed for safety or cash generation.
State Senator Bob Hall (R-Edgewood) has a bill in the Texas Senate that would outlaw red light cameras in the state. Hall efforted a similar bill in the 2015 legislative session, but it failed to pass the Texas House of Representatives. Hall's 2017 version of the bill has again passed the Senate, but is now waiting in the House.
