Two years after three automated speed-enforcement cameras were relocated in the 19th Ward, the devices have issued more than 245,000 speeding tickets and generated more than $6.3 million in payments to the city, according to data obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request filed by The Beverly Review with the Chicago Department of Finance.
The overwhelming majority of those citations came from the camera near King-Lockhart Memorial Park on the 10500 block of South Western Avenue, CHI205. In October 2024, The Beverly Review reported that CHI205, which went live on May 28, 2024, had issued 25,053 tickets in its first three months of operation.
Through May 11 of this year, that number had grown to 211,540, resulting in $5,383,722.95 worth of payments received. More than 260,000 violations have been recorded at that location, according to the Chicago Data Portal, including a single-day high of 1,352 on June 9, 2024.
As of July 1, CHI205 ranked 16th citywide in recorded speed-camera violations.
According to the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) Traffic Tracker, approximately 24,000 vehicles travel through the enforcement zone on Western Avenue every day.
The 19th Ward is home to four other speed cameras: CHI206 on the 1700 block of West 99th Street; CHI207 on the 2700 block of West 103rd Street; CHI022 on the 11100 block of South Vincennes Avenue; and CHI048 on the 3800 block of West 111th St.
Under state law, speed cameras must be located within 660 feet of a school or park.
CHI207, near St. John Fisher Elementary School, went live May 20, 2024, and it has issued 26,934 tickets and collected $776,218.26 as of May 11. CHI206, near Ridge Park, was installed July 15, 2024. It has issued 7,764 tickets and received $184,967.54.
19th Ward Ald. Matt O’Shea said the disparities in tickets issued have prompted discussions about possible relocation.
“Certainly the 99th Street camera is something we should look at possibly finding another location where it could do more good to protect kids,” O’Shea said. “I don’t care about the money, but if it’s generating the least amount of revenue, that means we’re not correcting behavior the way we should.”
Several schools, including St. Cajetan Elementary School, 2447 W 112th St., Morgan Park Academy, 2153 W. 111th St., and Mt. Greenwood Elementary School, 10841 S. Homan Ave., have requested speed enforcement cameras in their areas, O’Shea said.
Erica Schroeder, CDOT director of public affairs, said the department uses several factors to determine where speed cameras are placed and how effective they are at improving safety.
“Speed camera locations are determined through a data-driven process that considers crash history, speeding data, community concerns and eligibility under state law,” Schroeder said in an email. “CDOT evaluates camera effectiveness by monitoring changes in speeding behavior and crash trends over time.”
According to a 2024 Automated Enforcement Program report from CDOT, to help determine locations for speed camera enforcement, the city “uses a method that ranks safety zones based on crash data, including total number of nearby crashes, crashes involving a pedestrian or bicyclist, speed-related crashes, serious/fatal crashes, crashes involving a person 18 or under and the number of children and youths living nearby using U.S. Census data.”
The ward’s other two cameras—CHI022 near Morgan Park High School and CHI048 near the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences—have been in operation since 2014.
As of May 11, CHI022 has issued 38,735 tickets and collected $1,318,721.29, while CHI048 has issued 52,954 tickets, resulting in $1,654,991.81 in payments.
For drivers traveling between 6 and 10 mph over the speed limit in all active Children’s Safety Speed Enforcement Zones, fines are $35, and increase to $100 if drivers are traveling at 11 mph or above the limit.
While revenue is an obvious byproduct of the cameras, O’Shea said their primary purpose is to protect residents.
“A speed camera reaches in your pocket and takes money out,” O’Shea said. “I also believe it makes you be more cognizant of your speed.”