Photo Radar

In keeping with cities such as Phoenix and Scottsdale, Tempe has recently implemented a new traffic citation photo-enforcement program. Cameras have been installed at certain local intersections with the goal of reducing traffic speeds and lowering the number of car accidents caused by speeding and red-light violations. 

If you are sent a traffic citation from the new Tempe photo-enforcement program, contact our Arizona photo radar ticket lawyer at Corso Law Group. Schedule your free evaluation today.

About the New Red Light Cameras in Tempe

On May 7, 2025, photo enforcement cameras went live at 14 intersections in Tempe, Arizona. While there was a 30-day warning period (until June 6th), as of now, drivers can be ticketed if they are photographed running a red light or speeding by the newly installed cameras. 

Fox 10 Phoenix has reported that nearly 20,000 violations were captured by the cameras from June 6 to July 9, with more than 3,600 tickets issued. These cameras use digital technology to take high-resolution photos of vehicles running red lights and exceeding speed limits.

The cameras take two images: one of the intersection and a close-up shot of the driver’s license plate. These images and additional data are sent to the Tempe Police Department for review. Citations are then issued to drivers that law enforcement identify as violators.

Where Are the Traffic Cameras Located in Tempe, AZ?

The new photo-enforcement cameras in Tempe are located at the following intersections: 

• Baseline Road and Mill Avenue
• Baseline Road and Rural Road
• Broadway Road and 48th Street
• Broadway Road and McClintock Drive
• Broadway Road and Rural Road
• Curry Road and Scottsdale Road
• Elliot Road and Rural Road
• Elliott Road and Kyrene Road
• Guadalupe Road and McClintock Drive
• Rio Salado Parkway and Rural/Scottsdale Road
• Southern Avenue and Mill Avenue
• University Drive and McClintock Drive
• University Drive and Priest Drive
• Warner Road and McClintock Drive

These locations were chosen based on crash data. The city also has four mobile red-light cameras that regularly change locations.

What Is the Fine for a Violation ?

A driver who receives a citation from the new photo enforcement program in Tempe can expect a ticket with a fine of $250. If the driver is speeding and runs a red light, he or she will receive two separate citations. Excessive speeding could result in charges for criminal speeding.

The money collected from these fines will be distributed to various programs within the City of Tempe, including the Tempe Police Department. Drivers can pay online or by mailing a check or money order to the Tempe Municipal Court.

How to Contest a Red-Light Camera Ticket in Tempe, AZ

If you are sent a traffic citation from the new Tempe photo-enforcement program, note that this is not the same as a formal ticket. It is not a ticket that must be immediately paid. The state has 90 days to formally serve you with the real thing for an alleged red light or speeding violation. 

If this happens, you have the right to contest the ticket. You can hire a photo radar ticket lawyer in Arizona to defend you against these allegations, such as by proving that you were not the person driving the car in the photograph or that the photo equipment was not maintained or calibrated correctly.

With help from our Arizona traffic ticket attorney, you may be able to avoid a red light or speeding traffic citation. It is especially important to contact a lawyer if you are facing criminal charges connected to the new cameras. An Arizona photo radar ticket attorney can protect your rights and advocate for the best possible case outcome on your behalf.

The last time Arizona hosted the Super Bowl in 2008, a total of 10,409 DUI arrests were made and 937 traffic fatalities occurred that year. Of those deaths, 35 percent were alcohol related.

The risks associated high volumes of people in one area, such as drunk driving and other traffic concerns are lingering issues Arizona must face less than six months before it hosts Super Bowl XLIX, the nation’s largest annual sporting event.

Adjustments are being made in Arizona to accommodate the Super Bowl since Glendale may not have enough space or resources to do so on its own.

The NFL moved the NFL Experience fan event and the media headquarters from Glendale to downtown Phoenix, and notable CEOs and business executives from the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee are expected to raise $35 million to help Glendale and the University of Phoenix put on the event next year, the Phoenix Business Journal reports.

With the event expanding from Glendale to other cities, traffic and transportation safety are factors for local officials to examine.

Super Bowl Sunday ranks as one of the most dangerous times of the year for drunk driving deaths. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, on that Sunday and into the following Monday, 43 percent of all traffic fatalities were caused by drunk driving in 2012, Mothers Against Drunk Driving reports.

Due to increased traffic in Glendale during the Super Bowl, drivers will need to be aware of the photo radar cameras positioned across the West Valley. These devices have caused issues for drivers who believe that certain areas have become speed traps that lack consistency when it comes to ticketing, Your West Valley reports.

Last spring, Glendale requested $2 million for public safety costs during the Super Bowl which the Arizona Legislature later rejected.

Despite the rejected request, Glendale City Councilman Gary Sherwood said that the city is ahead of schedule on its commitments to the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee for public safety and transportation, The Arizona Republic said.

In contrast, Arizona Cardinals President Michael Bidwill believes the city isn’t doing enough.

“The city hall people really have done nothing” to support Super Bowl XLIX, Bidwill said in an interview with The Arizona Republic sports columnist Dan Bickley in August.

Virginia-based company ComSonic is developing a radar gun that can detect when someone is texting and driving.

Drawing from the technology used by cable technicians to repair lines by reading frequencies emitted from leaks and damages, the company is using this same concept to detect radio frequencies, sent out from text messages when the phone is being used in the car.

This device could help decrease the number of distracted drivers on the road, and with that, reduce the number of accidents caused by texting and driving each year.

Texting while driving increases the risk of a crash by 23 percent compared to a situation where a driver is not distracted, according to the Federal Communications Commission.

In 2012, 3,328 were killed and an estimated 421,000 were injured in distraction-affected crashes, the Official US Government Website for Distracted Driving said.

Teenagers are the group most at risk for texting and driving accidents. Newsday reports that in 2013, texting and driving replaced drunk driving as the number one killer of American teens who openly admit to texting behind the wheel.

Currently, 44 states have banned texting while driving for all drivers while others only ban new drivers. In Arizona, only school bus drivers are banned from using handheld devices while driving.

You can find state-by-state information on distracted driving laws in this report by the Government Highway Safety Association.

Although ComSonic’s texting radar device could help reduce accidents, some are concerned about the breach of privacy that could be involved with accessing drivers’ cell phone data.

“It would really depend on what it could detect,” said Jeffrey Kegler, an attorney for Scottsdale-based Arizona traffic attorneys Corso Law Group, who has had extensive experience and certification working with the calibration and testing of DUI breathalyzers and photo radar equipment at Columbia Analytical Services.

“I would almost guarantee that it could not tell the difference between streaming, sharing a wireless signal or transferring data to your car,” Kegler said.

Malcolm McIntyre, ComSonic’s calibration services manager, said that text messages emit a different frequency than other cell phone activities, and the equipment would not be able to decrypt information transmitted from drivers’ phones, The Virginian-Pilot reports.

The fledgling device still faces several hurdles before production goes underway, including legislative approval, adoption by police departments and determining whether it could tell who in the vehicle was texting when a driver has multiple passengers in the car.

Most drivers tense up and hit the brakes when they see a police officer pointing a radar gun at their cars, but in the future, be aware that photo radar might detect more than just speed. The Arizona traffic lawyers at Corso Law Group are here to provide Arizona drivers with expert defense from photo radar issues.