Washington, DC — New Jersey residents can now pay with their cellphones, thanks to a new program aimed at improving public safety.
The new program, which began on Friday, is part of a wave of initiatives to improve the safety of the nation’s traffic cameras.
The $300 million program was created by the state Department of Transportation in the wake of the death of an NYPD officer who was struck and killed by a driver in Brooklyn.
The NYPD had been deploying the cameras in more than 100 locations across the city, but the city recently changed its rules after the officer was killed.
New Jersey is now requiring police to turn on the cameras for only about half of the time, a rule that’s set to be enforced for the entire month of March.
“The cameras are being installed in a very safe way and we want to make sure that every one of those locations is a place that people feel safe and that people have confidence in the quality of the work being done by the police officers,” said New Jersey Assemblywoman Kristin Comerford, the bill’s sponsor.
Since the NYPD cameras were installed, more than 2,200 people have been arrested, most for drunk driving.
They’re also a major cause of the state’s traffic fatalities.
According to a report by the American Civil Liberties Union, the NYPD has recorded more than 8,000 arrests for drunk and reckless driving since it began using cameras in 2015.
“It’s really important that we all have confidence that we have cameras, that we can be sure that we’re protecting all of our citizens, but it’s also important that everyone can see what’s happening and how they’re being policed,” Comerf said.
The program aims to give drivers a better understanding of the rules and procedures for turning on the camera, so they can be more confident when they’re using it.
A second new program that will go into effect this month will give New Jersey drivers a voice in the decision-making process.
The New Jersey Department of Motor Vehicles said in a statement that the new system will give drivers more power to choose the best route and that it will help them be more accurate and productive when turning the cameras on.
The new rules also will help police more quickly identify and locate dangerous drivers, improve the city’s response to traffic accidents and reduce the number of crashes.
The state plans to implement the new program on a statewide basis.
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