By David Skolnick

skolnick@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

The city’s police department issued 3,827 civil speeding citations during the first four months of the year.

The department is seeing an increase in its collection rate with 64 percent of those cited between January and April paying the fees. The collection rate was 52 percent for 2015 between Aug. 18, when police started using hand-held speed cameras, to the end of the year.

The city signed a deal in late January with a collection agency to go after those who don’t pay after 90 days, but hasn’t used the service much.

“We’ve been sending more delinquent notices, and that could help with collections,” said Lt. William Ross, head of the city police department’s traffic unit, which operates the speed-camera program.

Of the 3,827 people cited between January and April of this year by city police for speeding, 2,467 paid.

Those speeding citations totaled about $308,375. Of that amount, the city kept $200,444, or 65 percent of the amount paid. Optotraffic, the Maryland company that provides the speed cameras and processes and mails the citations for the city, keeps 35 percent. That’s $107,931 for the first four months of 2016.

During the 41/2-month period last year in which the department used the cameras, officers cited 5,051 people for speeding with 2,604 of them paying the fees, which range from $100 to $150, depending on how fast motorists were driving. That’s a collection rate of 52 percent.

Some of those who paid this year were cited in 2015 because it takes a few weeks to process the citations and then violators are given up to 90 days to pay, Ross said.

The city averaged 1,122 speeding citations a month in 2015. That number is 957 a month so far this year.

“We’re not writing as many higher-speeding tickets as we did when we started,” Ross said. “They’re still speeding, but just not as fast.

“Also, we weren’t out there as much this year compared to last year. But now that the weather is improving, we’ll have more officers out.”

The program collected about $325,500 in fees last year with the city getting $211,575 and Optotraffic receiving $113,425.

The program has generated $412,019 for the city since enforcement started Aug. 18, 2015.

The police department has spent about $260,000 of it so far.

That includes two vehicles for its police dog units for about $90,000 total. It also is spending about $50,000 for a prisoner transportation vehicle and $30,000 for a computer program that helps the department map traffic accidents, said Police Chief Robin Lees.

“We’re also looking at purchasing flashing lights and signage for a couple of school zones,” he said.

The cameras are used primarily in school zones and on highways, particularly Interstate 680 between South Avenue and Meridian Road, where the speed limit is 50 mph.

“We’re not greedy; we’ve made the freeway safer and have been able to purchase equipment we don’t normally get,” Lees said.

In January, 852 citations were issued with 506 paying. In February, 1,015 citations were given with 520 paid. In March, 1,251 citations were issued with 662 paid. In April, 709 citations were issued with 779 paid.

Ross stressed that there is a lag – as long as four months – between when a motorist is clocked speeding, when the citation is issued and when payment is made.

The city has 12 officers who can issue civil citations for speeding rather than stop them and give moving violations with a fine and points on their driving records, Ross said.

Officers are able to issue significantly more civil citations using this method than pulling over speeders and writing tickets, Ross and Lees said.

Speeders face civil penalties of $100 for driving up to 12 mph over the speed limit, $125 for 13 to 19 mph over the limit, and $150 for those driving at least 20 mph over the limit.

However, citations are given only to motorists going at least 12 mph over the limit on highways, except in construction zones where it drops to at least 10 mph over the limit. In school zones, citations are given to those driving at least 10 mph over the limit.