Smith County School Zone Cameras Delayed

TYLER — A controversial school zone camera plan has been halted for the time being, according to Smith County Judge Joel Baker’s blog. KETK reports the program, provided by American Traffic Solutions (ATS), would include five cameras that would rotate school zones outside city limits. When the announcement was first made, Judge Baker said he believed the cameras would create “a more efficient way to enforce laws that are already in place.” In his blog, the judge says “misinformation is turning a reasonable idea into a big misunderstanding.” Baker also stated he has asked ATS to delay the implementation for the time being.

County Commissioner Terry Phillips is just one who’s spoken out against the program. “There hasn’t been an accident in Smith County any one can tell me about involving a child and a vehicle in a school zone. It just hasn’t happened,” said Phillips. He also believes the motives are financially driven. “There’s not a problem, so why create and go beyond this? It’s revenue. This company wouldn’t be doing it if they weren’t making money. Purely revenue driven. My opinion.”

In his blog, Baker writes, “As county judge I should have done a better job of public outreach and education regarding this program. As the presiding officer of the commissioners’ court, I take full responsibility for not leading a more robust public discussion on this topic prior to entering into the program. I am sorry for this error in the process. Therefore, I have asked the School Safety program vendor, ATS, to pause and delay the start of the program to allow us to do a better job with communication and outreach. ATS has also agreed to survey school zones around the county and to provide data regarding speeding in those locations. It’s now important that we restart the public conversation with facts.”