A collection of Milwaukee elected officials are again calling on the state Legislature to allow the city to use automatic traffic enforcement cameras to cite drivers who run red lights in another effort to reduce reckless driving.
The use of automatic traffic cameras — forbidden under state law — is something that Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley has been pushing for since at least 2017, when as a state representative he introduced legislation to create a pilot program in Milwaukee. It didn’t gain traction in Madison.
Friday, he was joined by Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and several alders and state elected officials in calling for the ability to install cameras throughout the county.
“We know that reckless driving has reached crisis levels right here in Milwaukee County,” Crowley said. “We need to guarantee stricter enforcement of traffic laws, reduce the cost of enforcement, but also allow officers to focus on other public safety challenges in our community.”
Research shows that automated traffic cameras can reduce crashes that result in injury and death. However, their use in U.S. cities has fallen in recent years over funding issues and various other concerns.