Red Light Cameras: Economic Profiling?

Are the red light/speed cameras used to profile the citizens of Albuquerque?

Illegal profiling is defined as:

• A prohibited activity that consists of targeting individuals for enforcement action or other activity based solely upon; race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religious affliction or ECONOMIC STATUS, age cultural group or any other identifiable group.

Mayor Chavez said the cameras are being placed at intersections with the high crash ratings, is this true? Below is a table showing the top 20 crash ratings at intersections in Albuquerque.

Rank - Intersection --------------------------- Number of Crashes

1.	I-40/Coors	144
2.	Coors/Paseo Del Norte	133
3.	Montgomery/San Mateo	114
4.	Montgomery/Wyoming	112
5.	Quail/Coors	108
6.	I-40 Westbound Wyoming	106
7.	Jefferson/Paseo Del Norte	99
8.	Coors/Central	96
9.	I-25/I-40	91
10.	Coors/Irving	88
11.	Coors/Montano	85
12.	Coors By Pass/Ellison	84
13.	I-25/Paseo Del Norte	76
14.	I-40 Westbound/San Mateo	76
15.	Coors/Ilif	74
16.	Wyoming/Paseo Del Norte	68
17.	San Mateo/Menaul	65
18.	Wyoming/Academy	63
19	San Mateo/Candelaria	60
20.	I-40/Louisiana	56

Now look at the table below showing where the cameras are being placed

Area --------------------- Camera Intersection --------- Ranking

Foothills	Juan Tabo/Lomas	Not on the top 20 list
Northeast	Montgomery/Carlisle	Not on the top 20 list
Northeast	Montgomery/San Mateo	#3 on the top 20 list
Northeast	Montgomery/Wyoming	#4 on the top 20 list
Northeast	Montgomery/Eubank	Not on the top 20 list
Northeast	Wyoming/Menaul	Not on the top 20 list
Northeast	San Mateo/Menaul	#17 on the top 20 list
Valley	Jefferson/Paseo Del Norte	#7 on the top 20 list
Westside	Coors/Paseo Del Norte	#2 on the top 20 list
Westside	Coors/Montano	#11 on the top 20 list
Westside	Coors/Quail	#5 on the top 20 list
Southeast	NO CAMERAS	NO CAMERAS

If you analyze the data you will find some curious items:

• The Juan Tabo/Lomas intersection located in the Foothills is not on the top 20 list.
• Out of 6 intersections in the Northeast, 3 are not on the top 20 list. The 3 that are, are rated 3, 4 and 17 out of 20.
• The Jefferson /Paseo Del Norte intersection located in the Valley is rated 7 out of 20.
• The 3 Westside locations are rated 2, 11 and 5 out of 20.

It seems pretty clear that the city is engaging in its own form of economic profiling. The #1 rated intersection (I-40 & Coors) does not even have a camera! Is this really about traffic safety? Or are these cameras simply placed in parts of the city where Mayor Chavez and his team know the citizens will pay the fines?

Take a look at the following map courtesy of www.ersys.com that shows the income distribution in the Albuquerque Metro Area.

Now, look at the large area of income levels over $55,000 and you'll find that is also where (you guessed it) a majority of the Red Light Cameras are being installed. Even a blind man, woman, or small animal could see that the cameras have become a revenue stream for the city.

Now, you may have noticed that the Eye, while spending an inordinate amount of time watching those characters down at city hall, simply hates the idea of these crazy cameras watching the profitable intersections in the Northeast Heights. Some may even speculate that we spend our time practicing for the previously blogged and recently renamed Daskalos 500 and don't want to see our shining eye caught in Mayor Marty's candid camera. Nothing could be further from the truth. We simply believe that law enforcement should not be used for revenue generation. It's too easy for the Mayor and Council to start depending on that camera cash cow. And you know what that means... manipulating the time of yellow lights and putting the cameras in the most profitable parts of town. (Oh yeah! They already did the latter!)

What to do if you want to make a change... Call the Mayor and the City Council to remind them that you vote and you did not vote for this tax. If you do nothing, you are allowing Mayor Chavez and the City Council to tax you without your consent. You are allowing Mayor Chavez and the City Council to take a basic freedom away, the right to vote.

If you get one of these candid camera citations, don’t just pay, demand a hearing on a specific date and time. Let the city know in writing you will not wait longer than 30 minutes for your case to be heard.

Our Eyes have found that citizens are waiting up to 3 hours for their case to be heard. THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS!

Remember the city elected officials work for you. You are their boss. The elected officials do as you direct or they get FIRED!

Your comments are welcome.

Next: How to Fight the Camera Tax