The city of Kent might install cameras in the fall to catch speeders of more than 20 mph at as many as three school zones.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
“It came from me,” said City Councilman Bill Boyce about the idea to add the cameras. “I think it’s a good thing. I served on the (Kent) School Board for 17 years and it’s all about safety. I’ve seen the cameras in other cities and I asked our police chief why we were not doing that in Kent?”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Just about every city surrounding Kent runs the school-zone cameras, including Auburn, Federal Way, Des Moines and Renton. Seattle added the cameras last year.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
As chairman of the council’s Public Safety Committee, Boyce directed Kent Police Chief Ken Thomas and his staff to study what it would take to add school zone speeding cameras in Kent.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
If approved by the three-member committee and the full seven-member council, cameras could be operational in the fall. Boyce hopes to get the proposal to the council in April or May.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
“We’ll pilot three schools to start,” Thomas said. “We’ll do studies before we pick the schools, talk to the Kent School District about their concerns and review our traffic data.”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Boyce, in his second year on the council, emphasized the cameras aren’t being considered in order to increase city revenue.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
“People can look at it that way,” Boyce said when asked about whether residents might oppose the cameras as a revenue-raising tactic. “This is about protecting kids by being pro-active. My goal is to (eventually, if drivers follow the speed limit) not give out any tickets.”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The Mukilteo City Council in 2011 repealed an ordinance to allow traffic cameras for running red lights and speeding in school zones after city voters passed an initiative to restrict cameras.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Cameras will take a photo of a speeding vehicle (measured by radar sensors) and after review by a police officer, the hired company will send a ticket to the vehicle’s registered owner.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n