East Canton Police Chief Chris Hartlaub is defending the village’s use of traffic enforcement cameras, saying the devices were installed in response to persistent speeding complaints from residents and are intended to improve safety, not generate revenue.
Hartlaub addressed criticism surrounding the cameras in a lengthy open letter posted Wednesday to the East Canton Police Department’s Facebook page. He said misinformation and misleading claims circulating on social media prompted him to explain how the village’s photo-enforcement program works.
“First and foremost, these cameras were not installed simply to generate revenue or to inconvenience motorists,” Hartlaub wrote. “They were installed because residents asked us to address a very real and persistent public-safety problem.”
According to Hartlaub, police had received complaints “on an almost daily basis” from residents in areas where the cameras are now located. Traffic studies were conducted and confirmed vehicles were traveling through those areas at excessive speeds, he said.
Police initially responded with traditional traffic enforcement, at times conducting 200 or more traffic stops in a single month. Hartlaub said those efforts failed to produce a noticeable or sustained reduction in speeding.
“The reality is that a police department can only put so many officers in so many places at one time,” Hartlaub wrote.
Hartlaub said permanently assigning officers to the problem areas around the clock would require additional staffing and place a greater financial burden on village taxpayers. The cameras, he said, allow police to continue enforcement while officers remain available for other calls and responsibilities.
Cameras are not Flock system, chief says
Hartlaub also sought to distinguish the traffic cameras from Flock Safety cameras, which are commonly used by law enforcement agencies to capture license plate and vehicle information.
“These are not Flock cameras,” Hartlaub wrote.
He said East Canton’s cameras are not designed to track motorists from one location to another and are not part of an interconnected surveillance network.
Instead, the devices detect vehicles exceeding a programmed speed threshold at a specific location. When that threshold is reached, the system captures photographs and a short video of the alleged violation.
Hartlaub said citations are not automatically issued by the system. A police officer reviews the photographic and video evidence before determining whether a citation should be issued.
Drivers must be at least 11 mph over limit
Hartlaub said East Canton has established its enforcement threshold at 10 mph above the posted speed limit, meaning a driver must exceed that threshold before being cited.
For example, Hartlaub said, on a road with a 35 mph speed limit, the camera enforcement threshold would be reached at 46 mph.
“These cameras are therefore not designed to punish ordinary motorists who make an occasional minor mistake,” Hartlaub wrote. “They are intended to address vehicles traveling at substantially excessive speeds.”
Hartlaub also said signs are posted in areas where cameras are operating and photo-enforcement warning signs have been placed at entrances to the village.
“The purpose of these signs is not to hide the cameras or catch unsuspecting drivers,” Hartlaub wrote. “Quite the opposite — the Village wants motorists to know that speeding will be enforced and to give them every opportunity to simply slow down and obey the law.”
Citations carry $175 civil fine
Hartlaub said violations detected through the cameras are handled as civil violations rather than traditional criminal traffic offenses.
The civil fine is $175.
Hartlaub defended the amount, saying the penalty is intended to deter motorists from excessive speeding and is comparable to the cost of a traditional citation. He said a photo-enforcement citation does not carry the same type of insurance consequences associated with a traditional moving violation.
“The easiest way to avoid the fine is simply to obey the posted speed limit,” Hartlaub wrote.
He also said unpaid civil obligations may be subject to collection procedures permitted by law, including potential credit reporting and wage garnishment.
Village plans to reinvest money
Hartlaub said Mayor Spencer has developed a plan for money collected through the program to be reinvested into East Canton rather than simply being placed into the village’s general operating budget without a defined purpose.
According to the chief, revenue could be directed toward police and public-safety improvements, additional safety initiatives, public works and other projects benefiting village residents.
Hartlaub said the goal, however, is not to maximize revenue.
“If the program is successful and drivers slow down, fewer citations will be issued — and that would be a positive outcome,” he wrote.
Hartlaub also responded to social media comments from people who said they would stop patronizing East Canton businesses because of the cameras.
“That is certainly their choice, and everyone has the right to decide where they spend their money,” Hartlaub wrote. “However, it is unfortunate that someone would choose to avoid doing business in our community because they are unwilling to comply with the posted speed limits.”
‘This is about safety — not revenue’
Hartlaub said the village understands some motorists oppose traffic cameras and acknowledged people can reasonably disagree over whether photo enforcement is the best way to enforce traffic laws.
But he said criticism should be based on accurate information about how East Canton’s system operates.
“They are not Flock cameras. They are not tracking devices. They are not a community-wide surveillance system,” Hartlaub wrote. “They do not issue citations simply because someone is traveling one or two miles per hour over the limit.”
Hartlaub said the cameras are being used as an additional enforcement tool after complaints from residents, traffic studies and traditional police enforcement demonstrated an ongoing speeding problem.
“Our responsibility is to the people we serve, and we will continue to use every reasonable and lawful tool available to us to make East Canton a safer community,” Hartlaub wrote.
