Council tentatively approves police budget; speed-camera plan moved to parking lot after debate

Los Alamos County Council tentatively approved the police department's proposed fiscal 2026 budget totaling $17,226,071 on April 22, 2025, after a multi-hour hearing that included a prolonged discussion of budget options to fund a traffic unit and a program of automated speed enforcement.

The police chief described a proposed package of budget options that would create a traffic unit, outfit two specialized patrol vehicles and implement a mix of fixed and mobile speed cameras. The chief said the department deployed a temporary radar sign near the truck route by the LANL entrance between April 11 and April 20 to gather baseline data. That device recorded 23,938 vehicle passes in the sampling window and showed that 580 vehicles exceeded the posted speed limit by at least 11 mph; the chief said about 35 percent of vehicles were at or above 56 mph in the sampled span and that 42 percent of drivers slowed between their first detection by the sign and their approach to it.

"This camera was set up on the truck route westbound or uphill, near the s curves by the entrance to the Lance facility," the chief said, describing the temporary deployment. He added that speed-camera hardware used in other jurisdictions typically requires an officer to review each alleged violation before a citation is issued.

Why it matters: councilors pressed for more detail on where cameras would be located, who would pay administrative costs, how many citations would be issued and how the program might affect residents' jobs or security clearances. Supporters said automated enforcement is a safer way to reduce dangerous speeding on key corridors where officers cannot safely perform traffic enforcement.

Public comment and outside support: Ted Wieke, the Department of Energy's federal manager for Los Alamos National Laboratory, told the council the DOE and NNSA support the LAPD's efforts to improve traffic safety on county and lab roads. "The Department of Energy as well as the National Nuclear Security Administration supports the Los Alamos Police Department and its efforts to improve, traffic safety across Los Alamos County as well as the lab," Wieke said.

Local resident Maura O'Neil, who described being struck by a vehicle in 2024, urged the council to follow the police recommendation and prioritize safety over concerns about tickets. "Nobody likes a citation, but nobody likes to see someone they know and love or even somebody they don't know be injured or die in a crash that could be prevented," she said.

Council response and next steps: councilors voiced mixed views. Councilor Hahn asked whether the staffing and camera purchases were interdependent and whether tickets would be issued for small overages; the chief said typical enforcement thresholds used elsewhere start at 11 mph over the limit but can be set lower in school zones. Councilor Hammond said she strongly supported aggressive traffic enforcement, citing personal safety concerns for cyclists and pedestrians. Councilor Reedy asked about capacity to expand enforcement onto Pueblo or DOE roadways; staff said jurisdictional expansion would require separate ordinances or MOUs with other authorities.

Formal action: Councilor Riedy moved that the council tentatively approve the full police budget including budget option items 8, 9 and 10. During debate, councilors agreed to place the camera/staffing budget options in the parking lot for further review and to ask staff for more detail on vendor contracts, collections, locations and projected revenues and costs. A roll-call vote approved the tentative budget 7-0. The camera and traffic-unit options were not rejected but set aside for additional study and council discussion.

What comes next: staff said a public education period and a warning phase would precede any automated enforcement, and that vendor contracts typically handle administrative mailings while officers must still review alleged violations. Councilors requested additional information about administrative costs, likely citation thresholds, potential revenue offsets and the program's impacts on residents with security clearances; staff committed to returning with those details and to further meetings with DOE and other stakeholders.

Several councilors and the DOE representative emphasized safety as the principal rationale for pursuing automated enforcement and for creating focused traffic resources.

Ending: The council's tentative approval keeps the department funded for the next fiscal year while postponing a final decision on the speed-camera program and two traffic-specific budget options pending more detailed cost, operational and legal analysis.