Town of Stratford public hearing on traffic cameras draws mixed comments on safety and privacy

The Town of Stratford held a public hearing on traffic-enforcement cameras at 6 p.m. Monday, March 10; the hearing was scheduled to run until 6:30 p.m. but was closed at about 6:10 p.m. after no additional speakers signed up.

The hearing drew three public speakers who expressed differing views on automated enforcement. Resident Seth Levine said communities that tried camera enforcement have seen a “tremendous backlash” and noted that some jurisdictions removed the cameras. Resident Greg Riley argued that traffic and pedestrian safety are top local concerns and said he would “support [law enforcement] expertise” if the devices are shown to improve safety. Christopher Green, a member of Stratford’s Public Safety Commission, said the effort is “first and foremost about safety,” and told the council the town followed state-level requirements and will track data to ensure the cameras produce measurable safety improvements.

Why it matters: Council members opened the hearing to gather public comment on whether and how the town should use automated cameras for traffic enforcement. Speakers raised trade-offs the council and staff will need to consider — whether cameras reduce crashes and fatalities and how to manage privacy and data handling — but the meeting record shows no vote or ordinance adoption took place at the hearing.

Speakers described both local safety concerns and examples elsewhere. Levine pointed to a public backlash in Plainview, Long Island, where he said cameras were removed. Riley cited recent pedestrian fatalities in Stratford over the past four years and said he supports law enforcement recommendations on enforcement methods. Green said state legislation and town rules require controls on how data are handled and that the Public Safety Commission and the police chief will monitor results and adjust locations or operations if the cameras do not produce the intended safety improvements.

The transcript and meeting packet, Green said, include data showing where locations are safety concerns. He also told the council that state approval was required for the town to install cameras, and that the packet describing the program is available on the town website. No motions or votes on camera installation, locations, or contracts were recorded during the hearing.

The presiding official closed the hearing after the last speaker and reminded people that a separate public forum meeting segment would begin at 6:30 p.m. and that a sign-up sheet was available for that forum.