Red Light Cameras at Route 70, Brick Boulevard Now Live

The red light violation cameras at the intersection of Route 70 and Brick Boulevard are now live. The cameras activated 12 a.m. Monday.

The photo enforcement cameras will capture still and video images of red light running violations, however, for an initial 30-day warning period, a warning notice will be issued to the vehicle’s registered owner rather than a binding violation notice.

The warning period ends on Wednesday, June 6, at which time summonses will begin to be issued, Brick Police Capt. John Rein said.

Like Brick's other two intersections equipped with the red light cameras – Route 70 and Chambers Bridge Road, and Brick Boulevard and Hooper Avenue – the new cameras are operated by American Traffic Solutions, an Arizona-based company.

There are no red light cameras in Toms River.

The cameras were installed for free by the company, and will be maintained by the company at no cost to the township. In exchange, ATS will share in a percentage of the rvenue generated by summonses issued from the cameras.

Warning signs alerting drivers to the presence of the cameras were installed at the intersection last month.

Based on Brick Township’s "business rules," a violation will occur when the entire vehicle crosses the stop line after the light has turned red.

Those violations will then been processed by ATS whose employees will verify the violation falls within the business rules set by the township, that the still and video images are adequate and verify the registration and ownership of the vehicle through the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.  Those violations that meet the criteria are then sent to the Brick Township Police Department where a police officer will review each violation to again verify that a violation did occur and the registration matches the vehicle in the still and video images. 

At that time the police officer will issue the violation, which is mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle by ATS. Violators can view the digital still images and a 12 second video of the violation online. They then can pay the fine directly online or contest the violation in the same way as any other motor vehicle violation in municipal court.

"The implementation of the Red Light Camera system is one example of this department’s commitment to use technology to improve our effectiveness and efficiency," said Brick Police Chief Nils R. Bergquist in a prepared statement. "The use of the RLC system allows us to deploy our resources to other critical needs of our community while still addressing the risks associated with red light violations. We are committed to the safety of our citizens and all who visit Brick Township. The RLC system is a significant tool in our efforts to accomplish that commitment."

Bergquist said the red light cameras are one piece of technology deployed by the department, with other including a new aomputer aided dispatch and records management system (CAD/RMS) and an automated license plate reader. The department hopes to implement an 'E-Ticketing' system in the near future that Bergquist said will save man-hours.

Statistics on Brick's use of red light cameras released earlier this year . According to police data, 95 percent of violators never receive a second violation, and 70 percent of the summonses generated by the cameras are issued to vehicles registered outside of the township.