In this whole thread I've heard alot of opinions, anger, insults, and no real facts (except a few vague references to mysterious 'stats', etc...). So here is my two cents in no particular order:
1) Everyone should read this before posting anything in this thread:
http://www.iihs.org/research/qanda/rlr.html
2) Everyone should do research themselves and not just go by heresay. One of my favorite studies that I have read (because it is short and the least biased I have found) is here:
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications.../safety/05049/
3) People flock to the reason that is is a revenue maker. Why is that bad? More money means less taxes, more cops doing police work instead of sitting at intersections, more vests, more 'no cell phone' signs in school zones, etc... In this economy the PD is stressed financially. Now its easy to say F--- Cops and all that, but its really hard to stand up and say I admire and respect you guys for risking your lives every day in order to keep us safe. And if that means I get a ticket when I run a light and that helps you do police work - then so be it. I broke the law and you caught me. I'm big enough not to whine about it and claim my privacy (in the middle of a public roadway) was infringed. In Texas 50% of all RLC revenue goes to the state (state law) for trauma care, drunk driving prevention, and DPS officers.
4) My experience with RLCs is in College Station. I do not know the similarities between Houston's implementation and College Station's, but in CS the pictures were processed and filtered for mistakes by the RLC company, then they were processed and filtered by a civilian member of the police department, then they were looked at by a police officer who actually authorized the ticket. Every possible precaution was taken to ensure mistakes were not made.
6) Quite honestly - if I were pulled over by a cop and given a ticket for running a red light, my first response would be "show me the proof." Photographic evidence would prove to me without a doubt that I ran the red light. It is no different than radar guns, or any other electronic device that is used to gather evidence of a crime.
7) The pictures in CS showed the car before the intersection with a red light on the pole. From the picture earlier in this thread I can see that Houston did not do this. I will criticize them for not ensuring the pictures actually hold evidentary value (not just a license plate).
8) The RLCs in College Station were taken down in a rather close, but nasty special election. I voted to keep them. Until someone shows me proof that they bring harm or endanger my life I will support them. It is a simple matter of the PD finding a technological solution to improve enforcement of existing laws, free up resources, and yes - generate revenue (not an evil thing).
But we can always take LL advice and not run any red lights and we'll have nothing to worry about, right? 
