Surprise won’t renew speed cameras contract
Apr 5, 2013, 5:00 AM | Updated: 5:00 am
SURPRISE, Ariz. — There will be no more speed cameras in Surprise.
The city has decided not to renew its contract with RedFlex.
At first, city leaders thought that speed cameras would be a good idea in Surprise.
“It was originally presented to our community as a way to change behavior that wasn’t going to come at a net cost to the city,” Surprise Mayor Sharon Wolcott said. “It didn’t pan out that way.”
Traffic tickets generated by the cameras brought in about $150,000 to Surprise since 2010, but Wolcott said it costs the city twice that amount to run the program.
“It’s about $150,000 dollars that was the net bottom line that we had to end up paying out,” Wolcott said.
Surprise Police Chief Michael Frazier told Wolcott that not renewing the contract with RedFlex would save Surprise enough money to hire two police officers.
“I’m not saying that that’s necessarily going to happen,” Wolcott said. “But my chief of police is my chief policy advisor when it comes to public safety. When he says to me that that could pay for two motor officers, that speaks volumes to me.”
Surprise will stop using the cameras on May 3rd.
