Smith County Delays School Zone Cameras

TYLER — The Smith County Commissioners Court has delayed a proposal to implement cameras in local school zones. KETK reports that in a meeting Tuesday morning, officials said they will take no action at this time, due to no appropriate locations available to suggest to the vendor, American Traffic Solutions (ATS). Smith County Judge Joel Baker first announced the program in late April. “Smith County is focused on public safety and limited enforcement to ensure the safety of the community’s school children,” Baker said at that time. “I believe it is a more efficient way to enforce laws that are already in place.” The program would include five cameras rotating in county school zones. The cameras were then delayed in early May following an uproar from the public.

“As county judge I should have done a better job of public outreach and education regarding this program,” said Judge Baker. “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.”

A few days after Baker made those comments, Grassroots America – We The People (GAWTP), a Smith County watchdog group, filed a formal complaint with the Texas Attorney General’s Office.