Tracy's red-light camera system resulted in 4,000 citations since last spring
More than 4,000 citations were handed out for drivers running red lights in Tracy after police started up a red light camera system in their city last year.
The Tracy Police Department posted a video about the red light cameras on Wednesday with a goal of continuing to let drivers know these cameras are here in their community.
"And that red lights aren't just a suggestion," Kaylin Heefner, Tracy Police community relations coordinator, said. "They are required to stop, even if you are making a right-hand turn."
Heefner said Tracy police initially picked four intersections based on data over recent years, indicating a "high likelihood" of red light crashes. Now, they're at six different Tracy intersections.
Those intersections are:
- Corral Hollow Road and 11th Street
- Tracy Boulevard and 11th Street
- International Parkway and West Schulte Road
- Tracy Boulevard and Clover Road
- Valpico Road and Tracy Boulevard
- 11th Street and MacArthur Road
Since April 2025, they've issued thousands of citations along with warnings. If you drive through a red light at one of these cameras, you're looking at a potential $490 ticket mailed to you. But before the ticket, Tracy police review the footage before a citation is issued.
"Since the program has launched in Tracy, our traffic collisions have gone down, preventing injuries, saving lives, which is the overall goal," Heefner said. "So, as long as our community is safe, that is all that matters to us."
Heefner said in 2024, they had six fatal traffic crashes, and after the program launched, they saw one fatal traffic crash in 2025.
Tracy residents told CBS News Sacramento what they think about the red light cameras in their city.
"The red light cameras are good but sometimes it's a hassle because there's some lights around over here, the yellow light takes a long time, like five, six seconds before it turns red," Omar Sardarmohammad, Tracy resident, said.
Omar also recognized the safety aspect, as there are high schools near the lights with students walking.
"It's very important because there's a lot of kids," he said. "As you can see, the Tracy High, West High, they're all around communities…by red lights, so it's very important for people to stop."
Tracy resident Tyler Costello said as long as they're being used properly to catch people going through red lights, he thinks the red light cameras are good for the city.
"It would show that it's not more worth it to just fly through," Costello said. "I mean, it's already not worth it because you're probably going to seriously injure someone else. But you're going to now obviously get the ticket now every single time."
Heefner told CBS News Sacramento they do plan on implementing more red lights throughout Tracy, it just may take some time with it being a "long-term project."
