LA Expands Speed-Camera Program As Arizona Voters Weigh State-Wide Ban

A Phoenix woman said she opened her front door expecting an Amazon delivery, only to receive a $250 photo-radar citation from a process server wearing a blue vest, drawing attention to the private contractor operating Phoenix’s renewed speed-camera program as the same company prepares to install as many as 125 cameras in Los Angeles.

Myranda Young told 12News that the man’s clothing led her to believe he was delivering a package.

“I was under the impression that it was an Amazon delivery,” Young told 12News. “It was just a little off-putting for me that he was coming in a blue vest.”

Young said she did not dispute responsibility for the speeding citation, but questioned the process server’s appearance and the manner in which the ticket was delivered. Phoenix’s contract makes Mesa-based Verra Mobility responsible for process service and permits the company to use subcontractors. The reporting does not establish whether the server who approached Young was directly employed by Verra or by another firm.

Phoenix did not directly address Young’s complaint about the process server’s appearance. In a statement to 12News, the city said the program was designed to change driver behavior and encouraged motorists to obey posted speed limits and resolve photo-safety citations through the court. Verra Mobility did not respond to the station’s request for comment.

Under Arizona law, a driver who receives a photo-enforcement notice in the mail is under no obligation to identify the driver shown in the photograph or respond to the notice. The notice must warn that failure to respond could lead to formal service and an additional service fee. A traffic complaint can then be served by delivering the ticket and complaint to the person charged or through other methods authorized by Arizona’s civil-procedure rules. 

Phoenix began issuing citations through its new Photo Safety Program on March 25 following a 30-day warning period. The city said its nine corridor cameras recorded more than 70,000 speeding events during the warning period.

Phoenix deployed 17 cameras in all, according to a city press release, including nine cameras along corridors with histories of speed-related crashes and eight cameras that rotate through 15-mph school zones during the school year. 

The city contracted with American Traffic Solutions, Inc., a company doing business as Verra Mobility, to install, maintain and operate the cameras, process potential violations, mail notices and oversee process service for motorists who do not respond.

The Phoenix New Times reported that the contract pays Verra $3,000 per camera each month, amounting to $612,000 annually for the 17-camera system, plus $20 for every citation that is paid.

The contract reportedly makes Verra “solely responsible for all process service” and permits the company to use subcontractors. Process servers must make at least three attempts, may search public and paid databases for addresses and can seek alternative service through the court when personal service is unsuccessful. 

Verra does not make the final decision to issue a Phoenix citation. The city says every event recorded by the cameras is reviewed by Phoenix Police, which determines whether a violation occurred. Arizona law requires law enforcement to conduct that review and makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor for a photo-enforcement company to determine whether a violation occurred for purposes of issuing a citation. 

Phoenix officials say the program operates on a cost-recovery basis rather than as a revenue-producing program. Citation payments are intended to cover city and contractor costs, with any remaining money directed toward the city’s Vision Zero Road Safety Action Plan. 

Phoenix’s camera program could eventually face a direct vote of city residents under a measure headed to Arizona’s Nov. 3 general-election ballot.

Arizona lawmakers referred Senate Concurrent Resolution 1004 now designated Proposition 319, to voters in June. If approved statewide, the measure would generally prohibit state agencies and local governments from using cameras to identify motorists accused of speeding or disregarding traffic-control devices. Agencies and local governments with photo-enforcement contracts signed by Dec. 31, 2026, would be exempt from the immediate prohibition.

Local governments with qualifying contracts would then be required to ask their own voters at the next general election whether their camera programs should continue. A local government whose voters reject the program would have 90 days to cease operations. Voter approval would authorize a program for 10 years, after which the jurisdiction would have to return to the ballot for renewed authorization every decade.

Phoenix’s existing agreement with Verra Mobility would place the city among the jurisdictions eligible to seek local voter approval rather than being subject to the proposed prohibition immediately.

The resolution’s legislative intent states that the measure is designed to keep law enforcement in the hands of trained officers and “protect the citizens of this state from the abuses that accompany the outsourcing of law enforcement to private, for-profit entities.” It also says enforcement should be used to protect the public rather than generate government revenue.

Phoenix has taken a neutral position on Proposition 319. City officials have nevertheless defended the cameras as a safety tool, citing the volume of speeding recorded during the program’s warning period.

The Phoenix controversy and Arizona’s pending statewide vote come as Verra Mobility takes on a substantially larger photo-enforcement program in Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles City Council voted 12-0 on June 10 to authorize a contract with American Traffic Solutions Inc., doing business as Verra Mobility, for the operation and management of the city’s automated speed-camera system. The council action became final June 12.

The agreement covers a term beginning May 1, 2026, and ending Jan. 1, 2032, with compensation not to exceed $38.375 million. 

Under contract documents submitted to the City Council by LADOT in May, Verra will supply a turnkey system capable of operating continuously at as many as 125 locations. The company will provide the cameras, software, installation, maintenance, citation-processing system, document production, mailing and payment processing.

Los Angeles will pay a fixed rate of $4,450 per camera each month, producing a base cost of $33.375 million for 125 cameras over five years. The city also authorized up to $5 million to reimburse Verra for postage. Photographic evidence must be reviewed and approved by LADOT employees before a notice of violation is issued, according to the contract documents.

The California payment arrangement differs from Phoenix’s per-paid-ticket provision. Assembly Bill 645, which authorized the California pilot program, prohibits camera manufacturers and suppliers from being paid according to the number of violation notices issued or as a percentage of revenue generated by the system. The participating city must retain control and make the final decision on enforcement. 

AB 645 authorizes automated speed-camera pilot programs in Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, Glendale, Long Beach and San Francisco through Jan. 1, 2032.

The cameras may issue notices when a vehicle is traveling at least 11 mph over the posted speed limit. Penalties begin at $50 for speeds between 11 and 15 mph over the limit, rise to $100 for 16 to 25 mph over, and reach $200 for speeds at least 26 mph over. A driver traveling at least 100 mph may receive a $500 penalty.

The violations are civil penalties that do not add points to a driving record or lead to suspension or revocation of a driver’s license. Participating cities must issue warnings during the first 60 days of enforcement, and a driver’s first violation for traveling 11 to 15 mph over the limit must also result in a warning. 

Verra’s Los Angeles system will have real-time integration with the California Department of Motor Vehicles to obtain registered owners’ names and addresses using license-plate numbers. The contract also directs the system to obtain comparable information from other states when their motor-vehicle registries allow access. 

AB 645 requires the cameras to photograph only the rear of the vehicle and its license plate, excluding the rear-window area. The law restricts collected information to administration of the program and prohibits contractors from sharing, repurposing or monetizing the data. Cities must also adopt policies covering data access, retention, security, third-party sharing, auditing and oversight.

California’s program is structured around mailed administrative notices rather than Arizona’s court-service system. Notices must be mailed to registered owners within 15 days and may be challenged through an initial agency review, an administrative hearing and an appeal to superior court. The Phoenix incident does not establish that Verra will use door-to-door process servers in Los Angeles. 

A July 8 LADOT report said the city intends to install all 125 authorized cameras and projected that 138,000 citations per month could be eligible for its low-income diversion program. LADOT said it was unclear how many eligible recipients would apply. The department estimated that 11 additional employees would be needed at an annual cost of approximately $1.18 million to process applications and related citation work.

LADOT said July 2 that it planned to activate the first speed-camera systems by the end of August. Each camera location will initially operate under a 60-day warning period during which motorists will receive written warnings rather than citations.