DPS throws out more than 65 percent of the photos captured

Motorists activated photo-enforcement cameras on Arizona highways more than 471,000 times from December through February but on average, only about one-third of those drivers received tickets from the state Department of Public Safety.

An analysis by The Arizona Republic of three months of records shows Redflex Traffic Systems Inc. and the DPS threw out more than 65 percent of the photos captured.

The reasons for rejecting tickets vary but are relatively uncomplicated: Sun glare, dirty windshields and traffic rank as top causes.

Redflex, a Scottsdale-based company that operates Arizona's statewide system, has a goal of issuing tickets 80 percent of the time the cameras are activated, DPS Lt. Jeff King said.

A Redflex spokeswoman clarified by saying that figure applies only to photos that aren't compromised by factors such as the weather.

King wouldn't characterize the DPS' position on the number of activations and the percentage of tickets issued but said the agency is pleased with photo enforcement's impact on public safety.

Arizona has a driver-responsibility law that means DPS officers have to match the photo of the speeder with one on a driver's license.

Authorities issue notices of violation to owners when a speed camera captures a clear picture of a license plate and a driver. But the vehicle's owner may deny being the driver. If authorities can't then match the camera image to a driver's-license photo, they can't issue a ticket.

Redflex officials would not discuss the technology that operates the photo enforcement system, but the cameras have high-powered lenses, King said.

Legislators approved the statewide program in July, giving the DPS a mandate to install 100 fixed and mobile cameras on Arizona highways. The DPS suspended the program's expansion in mid-January, with 36 fixed locations and 42 mobile units in place.

The suspension coincided with a wave of anti-photo-enforcement efforts that included residents' protests and legislative efforts to end the program, but DPS officials insist they suspended the program to seek the best locations for the remaining cameras.

The most recent data from the DPS shows cameras snapped motorists more than 1 million times on Arizona highways during the program's first seven months. More than 80,000 drivers have paid the fines.

Arizona has collected nearly $12 million through the process, with more than $1.3 million going to Redflex, according to terms of the contract.

King and other DPS officials cite statistics that show traffic fatalities have dropped dramatically in areas where photo-enforcement cameras are stationed.