CHARLACK • As state highway officials ponder sanctions against Charlack for violating an agreement about the operation of its automatic speed cameras, St. Louis County police chiefs are asking the Legislature to establish ground rules.

Two cameras monitor Interstate 170 from atop trailers along the Lackland Road bridge. The Missouri Department of Transportation agreed to it, area engineer Tom Blair said, provided that the city keeps a police officer in a marked car to monitor the equipment whenever it is in the public right of way.

A Post-Dispatch reporter saw that a police car near the equipment was empty for about 35 minutes on Aug. 20. The car was occupied twice in spot checks last week. Blair said the state is investigating reports from several "credible sources" that the car is frequently empty.

"Our senior leadership is aware that the car is likely unmanned, and that does not make it happy," Blair said. The city is "not abiding by our direction, and now we're trying to make a decision about what we are going to do. This is not an arena where we have normally dealt."

Charlack's police chief and city manager, Tony Umbertino, said Friday that the city pays an off-duty officer to sit in the car during daylight hours. That officer is paid with ticket revenue, so "no taxpayer money is used," he said.

Umbertino said a misunderstanding between the city and MoDOT about the role of the officer in the car has been resolved. He said local officials had believed it was sufficient for the officer to observe from about 200 feet away and across the street.

Said Blair, "Requiring an officer in the car does not sound like having a police officer near the car, to us."

In mid-August, MoDOT officials were frustrated to learn that Charlack officials had briefly shut down several lanes of I-170 to paint lines on the pavement without the state's permission. Umbertino said it was done to add another level of calibration for the cameras.

St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert P. McCulloch said the entire situation is "under review" by his office.

Meanwhile, Umbertino defended the cameras in a discussion Thursday at a St. Louis Area Police Chiefs Association meeting, according to some who were present.

The group of about 50 voted unanimously to work with the Missouri Police Chiefs Association to develop recommendations to send to legislators about how speed and red light cameras should be used, said Chairman Robert Pruett.

"There was a lively debate, and there were various points discussed that shall remain in the meeting," said Pruett, the chief in Bellefontaine Neighbors. Despite that characterization, he insisted there is no controversy among chiefs on the topic.

"It's a controversy only in the media," he said. "Our goal is the safety of the residents."

In an Aug. 25 letter to the group, Umbertino said north St. Louis County municipal police agencies are "under attack" from County Police Chief Tim Fitch. Umbertino claimed that Fitch has "resorted to psychological games to further enhance his goal of consolidation."

Fitch has been an outspoken critic of the operation of some small municipal departments, and has called on the state to require they hire only licensed officers or shut them down. Fitch also has criticized Charlack's speed camera program.

Umbertino said Friday that he and Fitch had a conversation after the meeting, in which Fitch recommended that the city suspend camera use until lawmakers provide guidance.

Umbertino said it's "doubtful" the city would do so, considering it could take a year or longer for a decision from the state.

"That is something I will discuss with the board (of aldermen), and it's up to them whether they say yes or no," Umbertino said.

Capt. Ron Johnson, commander of the Missouri Highway Patrol's Troop C, contributed to Thursday's debate, saying accident statistics do not show speed to be a significant cause of crashes on Charlack's quarter-mile stretch of the interstate.

City officials have said their intention is to improve safety along the highway, not just make money from the $90 tickets. They recently announced that 1,793 automated tickets were issued from April 5 to Aug. 1, with about $11,386 collected.

B&W Sensors provides the equipment and maintenance to the municipality, keeping 40 percent of the ticket revenue. The city gets the rest.

During that same period, city officials said, drivers exceeding the 60 mph limit by 10 mph or more on the stretch have dropped by 80 percent, those 15 to 20 mph or more over the limit "have all but disappeared." They said the number of vehicles going more than 70 mph is now 50 to 60 per hour, way down from more than 900 per hour in November.

Umbertino said accidents there used to average three a week and have dropped to zero. He suggested that officials from neighboring Berkeley, Overland and Bel-Ridge have said their accidents on the highway have dropped as well.

Fitch said he believes Charlack's camera has reduced speeders but doubts it matters much beyond the city limit.

"All they did was put a speed bump in the road," Fitch said. "People go right back to their regular driving once they pass through Charlack."

Johnson, of the Highway Patrol, said Charlack's findings tell only part of the story.

"You can't determine the total impact just by that stretch of highway that runs through Charlack," he said. "You need those numbers from the entire corridor," He noted, "I've not seen any data that make that comparison."

Johnson said he fears that inappropriate use of the cameras will jeopardize public support and could lead to a statewide ban on a technology that he believes has a place in police work.

"We want to make sure we're using (the technology) the right way and that builds public confidence in law enforcement," Johnson said. "And until we get a better understanding, we should just pull back on using cameras for now to make sure we're using it the right way."

Even though Umbertino voted in favor of developing recommendations for speed cameras, he said that does not mean he will ultimately support the result.

"If it has something that does not meet the interest of any municipality, then my signature may or may not be on bottom of it," he said.