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Spokane outlines expansion of automated traffic cameras, cites court and staffing limits
Summary
City staff briefed the Transportation Commission on plans to bring seven cameras online soon and consider up to 24 additional automated traffic‑safety cameras; staff said municipal court, prosecutor and police review capacity constrain how fast the program can grow and commissioners supported using traffic‑calming funds to add capacity.
City staff told the Transportation Commission on Jan. 21 that the automated traffic‑safety camera program is restarting site expansion after a multiyear pause, but expansion will be paced by enforcement and adjudication capacity.
John (city staff) said 23 cameras are operational now, including school speed and red‑light photo enforcement devices, and seven cameras currently under construction will come online in February–March. He said staff is considering up to 24 additional camera locations drawn from a council‑and‑neighborhood recommended list and scored through an equity and safety matrix.
"Our recidivism rate is quite low. Ninety‑plus percent of people who get a ticket never get another one," John said, describing behavioral benefits. He also flagged capacity limits: Spokane Police Department must review each violation, municipal court needs clerks and docket time, and the prosecutor’s office requires staff to handle contested citations. Those interdependencies mean the city cannot simply double camera numbers without additional staff and facilities.
Commissioners and staff discussed options to scale: several supported using traffic‑calming revenues to pay for additional municipal court and review capacity so cameras could be brought online faster. Staff noted a 2024 change in state law allows civilian reviewers to perform some camera reviews (subject to collective bargaining), which could ease police staffing requirements if bargaining agreements permit.
The Commission also discussed school‑zone cameras that can operate 24 hours a day: staff described examples in other jurisdictions where the camera enforces the school speed limit during commute times and reverts to the regular speed limit enforcement at other times; commissioners expressed support for 24‑hour enforcement to capture off‑hour risks such as sports and evening events.
Locations under construction include high‑use intersections near Spokane Community College and school corridors (Shadle Park High, Shaw Middle School area), and staff said some sites were delayed by power‑supply issues. Staff asked commissioners whether to select only one location per street in some areas to avoid overconcentrating cameras in a single neighborhood and solicited suggestions for high‑risk corridors (Division, High Drive, Market/Hilliard).
