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Council hears support for automated radar and cautions about enforcement workload for police
Summary
A public commenter praised the city’s automated radar enforcement program; staff and the sheriff's‑contract police warned the 24/7 camera program increases review workload and that a civilian reviewer or additional staff may be required.
At its meeting, Kenmore council heard strong public praise for the city’s automated radar (photo) enforcement at a downtown school zone, followed by staff reports that the 24‑hour camera program is increasing review workload for the police department.
Jennifer Anderson LaRue told council she watched the Arrowhead automated enforcement system and said it has improved safety: “I am 100% on board with collecting funds for anyone who refuses to be obeying the law,” she said during public comment, citing pedestrian survival research tied to vehicle speed.
Staff and the city’s contract police noted the effect of turning on continuous automated enforcement. Engineering said a photo‑enforcement installation on Simons Road (Inglemoor High School zone) is planned for completion by March; the police chief explained that review of enforcement events has increased and neighboring jurisdictions share similar workload challenges. Chief Brandon Mon said municipalities are exploring options: some use on‑duty officers to review footage; others hire civilian, non‑commissioned staff to perform reviews (the law permits civilians to do so), but that requires additional funding for an FTE.
Council and staff also discussed related operations: engineering said the city will expand CAPE locations as appropriate and that police and engineering are coordinating on how to manage citation processing. Several council members asked staff to consider options such as hiring a civilian reviewer, sharing resources with neighbors, or processing surges internally until the full workload is known.
The discussion also touched on bike‑lane safety hardware installed elsewhere in the city (vertical delineators/candlesticks). Engineering and Public Works said the new delineators reduce intrusion into bike lanes but create routine maintenance needs (leaf and debris removal); staff said a dedicated bike‑lane sweeper may be needed if delineators proliferate and indicated CAPE revenue could be a potential funding source if available in excess of budgeted amounts.
