Running a red light in Lathrop could soon come with a hefty price tag – even if a police officer isn’t around to see it.

Next week the Lathrop City Council will consider whether to add automated traffic enforcement cameras – which are deployed at intersections and capture the license plate of vehicles that are found to have run the red light – in an effort to improve overall traffic safety in the growing community.

The meeting is scheduled to take place on Monday, Aug. 14, at 7 p.m. inside of the Council Chambers at Lathrop City Hall – located at 390 Towne Centre Drive. ,

According to the staff report prepared for the council, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has found that intersections that have automated traffic enforcement cameras reduced the number of red light violations by 40 percent, and the fatal collision rate in red light accidents fell by almost 25 percent.

If the council were to follow the recommendation of staff for where the cameras would be placed in the community, according to the staff report, they would be placed at River Islands Parkway and Somerston Parkway, Louise Avenue and Harlan Road, and Lathrop Road and Harlan Road.

Because of the way that the law regarded automated enforcement is currently laid out, the decision of the council to move forward with staff’s recommendation would mean that the city would have to submit a request for proposals from authorized vendors who would install, maintain, and operate the system.

If a violation were to occur, according to the staff report, a summary of the fact would be forwarded to the Lathrop Police Department for approval, and once approved the contractor would send a notice of violation that would be paid directly to the San Joaquin County Superior Court.

A portion of the funds generated by the automated system would be routed to the City of Lathrop, which would then use those funds to pay up to the monthly fee to the contractor – putting the onus of covering the ongoing costs to the system on the violators rather than the community. Any additional funding that is received beyond the monthly fee, according to the staff report, would be available to be used at the city’s discretion.

For additional information, or to obtain a copy of the agenda for the council’s upcoming meeting, visit the City of Lathrop’s website at www.ci.lathrop.ca.us.

To contact Bulletin reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.