Hidden Cameras

Leonard McCarthy of Brownsville sent the following letter to the Newshound.

Issue:

"Having recently moved to Brownsville from an area that has "red light" cameras, I am very careful when driving. I noticed that numerous intersections throughout the city have small cameras mounted and appear as if they are pointed at specific lanes of traffic.

I have seen them along FM 802 at Laredo Road and Central Avenue as well as numerous other intersections.

They do not appear to be the "red light" type cameras, but a smaller closed circuit type."

Who to Call: 

City Manager Charlie Cabler, (956) 548-6000.

What they said:

Cabler said the cameras mounted on top of traffic lights are microwave censors that allow communication between traffic lights at various intersections in the city.

"That's just for the (censors) with the lights to speak to each other," he said. "For example, ‘There is no traffic on this intersection, turn red, turn green.' It's not for traffic violators."

He said the microwave censors allow for better flow of traffic.

"The lights are speaking to each other showing the traffic flow," Cabler said. "If there is no traffic on the street, that light will turn green before time."