The Citizens of Edgewood have been under scrutiny of a school zone traffic enforcement program since October 2019.

Washington State Patrol data shows that there were no collisions or accidents in a school zone in the City of Edgewood since August of 2013.

Despite that fact, The city council approved the installation of and started operating a school zone traffic camera system in the fall of 2019. The city council never consulted a professional traffic engineer to identify potential safety hazards.

Since then, the city council has approved installation of multiple systems in front of other schools and as of 4/02/2024 the City of Edgewood Police Department has issued 23,570 citations and has collected over $3,432,880 in 43 months since October of 2019.

In spite of claiming the funds collected are used exclusively for public safety purposes, all the money collected has been deposited into the general fund and the city does not keep a separate accounting of the funds it collects or spends. Public record requests shows the city could not document a current balance or how much funding would be available or has been used for any safety projects. The city does not have any safety projects planned for inside any school zones.

The city, however, is currently paying Verra Mobility $399,000 per year to operate the system with the funds it has collected from citizens. Indeed, Verra Mobility appears to enjoy being the largest recipient of the funds collected over the 4 years they have been operating the cameras in Edgewood.

Washington State Patrol data confirms the city cannot demonstrate any improvement in public safety. A close look at the statistics brings into question the necessity of the school zone camera systems.

We want to be clear: this is not a plea to allow reckless driving or speeding. From all outward appearances it appears the city has set up a speed trap scheme to generate revenue and the citizens have yet to even enjoy a new sidewalk.

Now we the Citizens of Edgewood demand that Mayor Dave Olsen and the Edgewood City Council end the School Zone Photo Enforcement program and remove the cameras from the City.

More information at www.edgewoodschoolcams.com

Dave Olson

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