KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City, Missouri, City Council voted 10-1 Thursday to approve an ordinance that could soon bring red light cameras back to the city's streets.
Kansas City, Missouri, drivers have navigated red light cameras previously, though the city and others across Missouri were forced to abandon the program in 2013 following a Missouri Supreme Court ruling.
The ruling said the camera technology at the time couldn’t match the driver of a car caught running a red light with the owner of the car.
Leaders in St. Louis passed an ordinance this past April that would bring back that city's red light camera system.
Under the ordinance passed Thursday, red light cameras will now take a picture of both the driver and the car and only send tickets when the system is able to match the photo of the driver to the owner of the car.
KCMO Councilwoman Melissa Robinson told her colleagues during Thursday's meeting the cameras help ease the problem of not enough officers in the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department.
The cameras would fill the gap where there aren't enough officers.
KCMO Mayor Quinton Lucas pointed out fatal traffic crash have risen this year and the cameras are an added tool for enforcement.
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Fines from red light runners would be paid into the city’s Vision Zero initiative.
The city is still exploring the locations where the cameras would be installed.
One final step is required before the city is able to start operating the system: because Kansas City police is overseen by the Board of Police Commissioners, the BOPC is also required to sign-off on the plan.
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