COLUMBUS (Brooks Jarosz) -– Red light cameras have been flashing at dozens of intersections for nearly a decade in Columbus.

One red light camera on 4th and Mount Vernon has flashed the most, netting 28,000 citations and generating millions of dollars.

City leaders wanted to prevent t-bone crashes and in 2004 Columbus took bids. City documents show three companies put in and an evaluation team of city engineers, police officers and health employees recommended Redflex be awarded the contract.

Six of seven council members approved it in 2005 and by the following year, seven cameras were operational.

Questions later came after it was uncovered that a huge chunk of camera revenue went to the red light camera company, Redflex.

“75 percent goes to Redflex,” John Raphael said.

Known lobbyist John Raphael pushed to get the cameras in Columbus. Contracts with Redflex have been renewed and amended over nearly a decade.

“We’ve never viewed it as a way to generate revenue,” then councilmember Andrew Ginther said. “I know some folks view it that way and I think that’s unfortunate. Our focus has always been about public safety.”

City figures show the cameras expanded to 38 intersections by 2012, bringing in nearly $10.5 million to the city, and millions more to Redflex. It’s all while safety officials say t-bone crash rates went down.

Since then, a statewide ban on the cameras prompted a lawsuit by the City of Columbus and other municipalities.

However, amid the controversy surround the former Redflex CEO and allegations of bribery toward certain city leaders, the truth behind the lens remains to be uncovered.

When the cameras were working, 300,000 citations were issued. The contract with the city was not set to expire until June 2017.