I have to commend the Amarillo City Commission from refusing to flinch on the issue of red-light cameras at several dangerous intersections.

What’s more, I congratulate the commission for agreeing to expand deployment of these devices to at least two additional intersections.

The criticism that swelled up when the city installed the cameras more than five years ago seems to have quieted down a bit. But the commission took the correct course when it deployed the cameras to catch those who run through red lights and, thus, break the law. The city declared the cameras to be a hedge against threats to public safety, given the accidents that were occurring because motorists were ignoring the command to stop when the light turns red.

Back when I was working as a daily opinion journalist writing in support of the initiative, I heard a snootful from camera critics. Perhaps the most innovative gripe came from those who said they wanted to face their “accuser,” meaning they didn’t want some automated system catching them in the act of breaking the law. The cameras are activated when someone runs through a light; it snaps a picture of the license plate on the offending vehicle; the Amarillo Police Department runs that plate through its system to identify the owner of the vehicle. The city then issues a $75 citation to the owner, who then has the option to pay it or contest it.

Thus, the violator gets to face his or her “accuser.”

The most disgraceful complaint came from those who said the cameras invaded motorists “privacy,” which of course ignores the fact that motor vehicle traffic flows on public streets. Therefore, what happens on public property becomes the public’s business.

State law restricts how cities can spend the revenue they collect. Amarillo pays the vendor and then dedicates what’s left to traffic improvement. It cannot spend the money on office frills for, say, the city manager. Instead, Amarillo has used the money to pay for improved traffic enforcement and upgrades to traffic signals around the city.

I continue to support the concept of using these devices to catch motorist lawbreakers. And I sense that given the relative silence among residents that they’re getting used to the cameras’ presence. If the result is fewer accidents and perhaps even a decline in revenue, then so be it.

The cameras are doing their job.