Vendor pitches camera‑based speed enforcement to Rising Sun officials

Erwin Lanier, a representative of Red Speed, told the Town of Rising Sun's board on March 26 that his company’s video‑based system can support multi‑lane enforcement and automatically document violations with high‑definition video and license‑plate recognition.

Lanier said the system uses infrared illumination to avoid a distracting white flash, combines lane‑specific HD video with 3‑D radar that the company describes as accurate to within ±1 mile per hour, and includes a license‑plate “rewind” capability that Red Speed says improves capture rates by allowing frame‑by‑frame retrieval of clear images. In his presentation Lanier described a vendor business model in which Red Speed funds installation and recovers costs over time through enforcement revenue, saying, “So we don't have a flat fee...we only do well when you do well.”

The vendor presented performance claims—including a company statement that speed cameras have contributed to a roughly 35 percent reduction in fatalities over nine years in places where similar systems operate and that their rewind functionality yields a 25 percent increase in violation capture versus competitors. The presentation also emphasized remote access to 45‑day video archives and the potential to integrate with existing municipal camera systems.

Officials asked how the town would be affected if camera‑generated revenues fell short of projections. Lanier said Red Speed generally structures its agreements so the town would not owe money in those scenarios and described conservative speed studies the company uses to set expectations. The presentation closed with the company’s offer to answer technical questions and to assist with required state notifications and signage.

Chief Peterson introduced Lanier and framed the presentation as part of town efforts to reduce school‑zone speeding near the middle school. The board did not vote on a contract at the meeting; the presentation served as information for commissioners as they consider a first reading of a local ordinance to authorize automated school‑zone enforcement.