The town of Prescott Valley is preparing to add speed cameras to the freeways that run through the town beginning October 6. The program is a joint project with the state Departments of Public Safety and Transportation, which will serve as a model for other cities looking to get in on the action. Scottsdale's Loop 101 freeway project last year proved that just six cameras could generate $17 million worth of tickets. Governor Janet Napolitano (D) envisions a speed camera on every freeway in the state within the next few years.

Prescott Valley will start with a simple photo radar van parked on the side of State Highway 69 to catch vehicles where the speed limit drops to 45 MPH. The town will then add fixed speed cameras and use red light cameras with the additional capability of issuing speeding tickets.

Redflex will operate all aspects of the program. Within the next two months the Australian company promises to bring a new type of camera that will allow Prescott Valley to begin ticketing on State Highway 89. Because Arizona Department of Transportation rules will not allow a speed camera van to park on the side of the highway and become a hazard, Redflex has developed a camera that will sit on a tripod and beam ticket photographs back to a mobile unit thirty feet away. The camera's small size will also make it much harder for motorists to see.

The town adopted its speed camera agreement with a 7-0 vote on August 23 at a meeting with almost no members of the public present. The first actual citations are expected around November 5.