Red light cameras not a hit with many, including Tulsa's mayor

While the city council's looking for a legal opinion on red light cameras, Mayor Dewey Bartlett has his own opinions on the topic.

He tells KRMG he prefers the old "tried and true" methods of traffic enforcement, namely "police officers doing their job and looking out after those who run red lights and do things inappropriately."

"If we continue to have strong education and strong enforcement of the rules, and keep the fines at a fairly high level where it does catch everybody's attention, that to me is a better solution," he added.

Recently, City Councilor G.T. Bynum asked council staff to look up a state law which prohibited the cameras, but they weren't able to find one.

A KRMG listener texted to say they had received a letter from the city specifically stating that the cameras violate state law, but if that's true no one has been able to identify the code in question.

Other listeners have also expressed concerns over the cost of the systems, whether or not they work, and whether they would lead to other public surveillance.

"A lot of people have a distrust of this type of thing, that they feel like their privacy is being invaded," Mayor Bartlett pointed out.

No action has been taken on the idea, the council has merely sought legal opinion to see if the debate is even worth having.