Denver police officers will no longer face discipline when they receive a photo-radar or red-light ticket while on routine duty. Instead, they will have to do what the law requires: Challenge the violation or pay the fine.

A new citywide policy requiring any driver ticketed while behind the wheel of a city-owned vehicle to pay their fines prompted Safety Manager Alex Martinez to make the change.

Under the old rule, officers didn’t have to pay their fines, but they would receive an oral reprimand after the first ticket and a written reprimand after a second.

There is no change to the policy that leads to the cancellation of tickets issued to cops responding to emergencies.

The change comes on the heels of a 9News investigation that found the tickets were widely ignored by those driving city vehicles. From 2009 to mid-2012, 607 tickets were unpaid. Police vehicles accounted for 458 of those.

Martinez said it was fair to eliminate discipline on a cop’s first two violations if they are required to pay the fine. Leaving the discipline rules in place could have added to the turmoil roiling the department, he added.

Chief Robert White, who was sworn in last December, has begun shuffling the ranks of detectives, technicians, corporals, replacing some and moving others to different jobs. Officers had to reapply for their jobs and began receiving notification about their futures Friday.

The public was concerned about police dodging tickets that everyone else had to pay, Martinez said.

But there were reasons for using discipline instead of requiring payment, Martinez said. Among other things, the reprimands, which go on an officer’s record, could protect the fleet and the public.

“I am not arguing against the change; it is just that the way it used to be done has some reason,” Martinez said. “It is a shifting policy, and that never suits people in particular.”

Even White — who advocated for cops playing their tickets — has been tagged by photo radar. He received a ticket in January and another in May and received an oral reprimand for the first and a written reprimand for the second. Though he received the citations before the rule change, he paid the fines, police spokesman Lt. Matt Murray said.

Commanders still will receive notice when officers are ticketed, and the Conduct Review Office will determine if the violation occurred during an emergency.

Under the new policy, cops will receive an oral reprimand for a third offense and a write-up for a fourth. A fifth ticket could result in pay being docked eight hours.

Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671, tmcghee@denverpost.com or twitter.com/dpmcghee