Red Light Runners Increasing in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Red light cameras in Albuquerque, N.M., have been off two weeks and already police are reporting an uptick in drivers who run red lights.

Albuquerque police say camera citations between Nov. 7 and Dec. 12 jumped about 12 percent over the same period last year.

Cmdr. Eric Garcia tells the Albuquerque Journal he worries more drivers will ignore red lights and increase the number of crashes.

Garcia says the department is going on the offensive. Motorcycle units will be deployed to some of the city’s most dangerous intersections to patrol and cite drivers who run red lights. School resource officers will monitor intersections around schools.

Red light cameras have been a contentious issue in Albuquerque since they were installed seven years ago. The state last year ordered all cameras on state roads be shuttered.