Houston motorists have been issued nearly 3,400 red-light camera violations in the two weeks since the city's contested surveillance program was switched back on, according to figures released Monday by the camera company.

Police Chief Charles McClelland reactivated the camera system July 24, following a decision by Mayor Annise Parker to resume operations to limit damages for breaching a contract with the camera company.

In November, the city shut down the 70 cameras operated by Arizona-based American Traffic Solutions after voters ended the program in a citywide referendum. But a federal judge ruled the referendum unlawful, and the city is appealing that decision.

"Red-light safety cameras are hard at work helping the Houston Police Department enhance road safety by enforcing red-light running violations camera locations throughout the city," said a statement from ATS spokesman Charles Territo. "Houstonians can expect that over time the number of collisions caused by red-light runners as well the number of injuries and fatalities will decrease."

HPD approved mailing 3,392 notices of red light violations from July 24 through Monday and is reviewing another 1,078 violations, said Cindy Clifford, a spokeswoman for ATS. She said the number of violations was less than half the total issued during the same period last year.

The citations recorded since the cameras were switched on last month represent up to $335,000 in revenue, based on the $75 each of the civil violations bring the city.

"That's good news. Our goal is not for people to run more red lights, our goal is for the streets to be safer," Clifford said.

Houston police spokesman Victor Senties said from July 30 to Aug. 5 ATS forwarded 2,861 violations to the department's camera review office. HPD authorized notices of violations be sent to 2,713 offenders, which Senties said was a 94 percent approval rate.

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Union: Officers freed up

Gary Blankinship, president of the Houston Police Officer's Union, said the surveillance cameras have freed up Houston officers to investigate other crimes.

"Clearly that's 3,392 people who violated the law that we didn't have to tie up a police officer to issue a citation for, and where we could devote their energies to more productive, higher-priority calls," Blankinship said.

He added that statistics should eventually show that the number of accidents will decrease in those intersections.

Critics of the city's camera program argued that violations should not be issued until the city's court suit is settled.

4th Amendment violation?

"Every red-light ticket violated a person's Fourth Amendment right to be free from an unreasonable seizure of their money," said Houston attorney Randall Kallinen, who has represented opponents to camera surveillance programs.

Houston's system has been criticized by traffic activist Greg Mauz, with the non-profit Best Highway Safety Practices Institute, arguing the system has more to do with money than safety.

"Turning the cameras back on is wrong because cameras do cause more crashes, injuries and fatalities, and there are more than 40 studies proving that," Mauz said. "They want the money, they made $50 million and who'd want to give up $50 million."

From the inception of the red-light camera program in September 2006 through its termination in November, the system collected nearly $44 million in fines.

james.pinkerton@chron.com