Ottawa police officers caught by photo radar, red-light cameras

A photo radar camera on Main Street near Immaculata Catholic High School. (Kimberley Fowler/CTV News Ottawa)

Dozens of Ottawa police employees were caught by photo radar and red light cameras on Ottawa roads over the summer.

A report for the Ottawa Police Services Board shows there were 144 internal complaints about officers caught speeding by photo radar cameras in the July to September period, and 43 internal complaints about police vehicles caught by red light cameras at Ottawa intersections.

There were 180 tickets issued to Ottawa police vehicles for speeding by the automated speed enforcement cameras in the summer of 2024, while 31 tickets were issued to police for vehicles running a red light by the red-light cameras.

An internal complaint is launched when a photo radar camera or red-light camera infraction is issued to an Ottawa Police Service vehicle.

The officer is responsible for paying the fine if warranted, according to the police service.

So far in 2025, the Ottawa Police Service has received 314 tickets for speeding through the photo radar program, and 84 tickets for running a red light through the red-light camera program.

In 2024, Ottawa police received 570 tickets for speeding through photo radar cameras, and 100 tickets for red light camera infractions.

“The key driver of the increase in Driving Related Internal Complaints is attributed to the number of Automated Speed Enforcement, which continues to rise with the implementation of more cameras throughout the city,” police said in a report for the Ottawa Police Services Board.

“As such, the OPS Complaint Statistics report to the board now includes a category to distinguish Driving Related Conduct from other forms of Improper Conduct. In 2021, the OPS updated its process to deal with camera infractions to hold members accountable and apply progressive discipline when the threshold for exemption under the Ontario Highway Traffic Act (HTA) are not met.”

The City of Ottawa currently has 60 photo radar cameras and 85 red-light cameras installed across the city. Premier Doug Ford has said his government will introduce legislation this fall to ban the use of speed cameras across the province.