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8/12/2019 Speed Cam Report to County Council 2014
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/speed-cam-report-to-county-council-2014 1/17
School Zone Speed Camer
Report to the County Counc
Howard County Police Department
William J. McMahon, Chief of Police
March 2014
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1School Speed Camera Report to the County Council 2014
Howard County Department of Police
Executive Summary
The Howard County Police Department has been successfully operating a speed camera
program in school zones since enabling legislation was passed in Howard County in May, 2011.
Our program was designed to provide police with another tool to address residents’ number-
one complaint: speeding on residential and school zone roadways. You will find in this report
that our program has done just that by providing additional support to our traditional speed
enforcement efforts.
Our research shows that the program reduced speeds on 71 percent of our school zone
roadways in 2013. It has also reduced the number of collisions occurring on those roadways by
27 percent. The program is having the effect we’ve worked for from the beginning. Drivers are
changing their behaviors and roads around schools are getting safer.
The program generated 20,789 speed citations to vehicle owners in 2013, a decrease of 13
percent when compared to 2012. This decrease shows that drivers are slowing down in schoolzones and getting our message that they should be obeying the posted speed limits.
To date, since its launch in late 2011, the program has funded itself and collected approximately
$22,000 in funds over the costs of running the program. That money has already been
earmarked for school, traffic and pedestrian safety projects.
Speed camera programs in some jurisdictions outside Howard County continue to be scrutinized
and in some cases, modified, or even temporarily shut down. I can personally assure you that
the problems faced in other programs do NOT exist in Howard County, as our program uses
different technology and processing methods. More importantly, we provide rigorous oversight
of our entire program, from site selection through citation review.
The following report is an analysis that addresses all the reporting requirements of the county
code. I am confident that you will agree that the speed camera program in Howard County
continues to be effective, efficient, fair, and a true benefit to the safety of those who travel in
our school zones.
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2School Speed Camera Report to the County Council 2014
Howard County Department of Police
Contents
The following is an overview of the legislation involving school zone speed camera
enforcement. This report is broken down into the major reporting areas as required in
Howard County Code Title 21 Traffic Control & Transportation Subtitle 6 Speed Camera
Monitoring Systems.
Section 1. Enforcement Activity to Include Location and Frequency of the
Placement of Speed Monitoring Systems.
Section 2. Citation Information to include Violations Photographed, Rejected,
Issued, Appealed and Final Adjudication
Section 3. Collision Information, a Comparison of Collisions Before and After
Enforcement
Section 4. Updated Speed Surveys
Section 5. Financial Information to include Program Costs, Vendors Fees,
Total Fines Collected, Excess Fines, Use of Excess Fines
Section 6. List of School Zones highlighting any changes
Section 7. Major Problems/ Irregularities
Section 8. Program Recommendations
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3School Speed Camera Report to the County Council 2014
Howard County Department of Police
Program Overview:
Speed camera legislation was introduced before the Howard County Council in the
spring of 2011. The legislation authorized the Department of Police to use speed
monitoring systems in school zones. The overall goal of the speed camera program was
to change behavior and encourage drivers to slow down.
In May 2011, the County Council passed Council Bill 13-2011, authorizing the use of
speed cameras in Howard County. A 30-day warning period began on October 15, 2011
and the program began issuing civil citations on November 16, 2011.
The Howard County program began with two manned, mobile systems, which do not
require roadway improvements or roadway construction, resulting in no inconvenience to
the public. Only members of the police department who are certified to operate the
camera system and equipment are permitted to staff the vans.
At the start of the 2013-2014 school year in August, we added two additional speeddetection instruments. These instruments, called portable computer unit (PCUs) are
housed in cabinets that are bolted to concrete pads. The PCUs are being used in school
zones where the road configurations make it challenging to safely use the speed camera
vans. These portable units allow the department to address speeding issues in school
zones without impeding traffic or causing unnecessary distractions to drivers where
space is limited and it would be unsafe to do so.
School zone speed enforcement takes place Monday through Friday from 6 a.m.-8 p.m.
During the school system’s winter and spring breaks, we operated one van and both
PCUs, concentrating our enforcement activities in school zones where activities were
taking place. During the summer break, we concentrated our efforts at schools thathosted summer school and recreational programs.
Every designated school zone is posted with advanced warning notification consisting of
a “School Zone” sign, a sign displaying the speed limit, and a “Photo Enforcement” sign.
In addition, all roadways where the speed camera vans will be assigned are listed on the
HCPD website at least a week in advance.
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4School Speed Camera Report to the County Council 2014
Howard County Department of Police
Our program is designed as an additional tool to supplement the efforts of patrol officersto slow down speeding drivers. Our efforts in 2013 have resulted in 243 days of
enforcement, totaling 7,172.40 hours and the issuance of 20,789 civil speed camera
citations. During the same time period, our patrol officers, who are tasked with a
multitude of responsibilities, such as responding to emergency calls, writing reports, and
handling investigations, spent 1,239 hours conducting speed enforcement and issued
2,914 speed citations in school zones and residential areas. You can see that the
automated speed camera program allows us to focus on speeding in school zones in a
way we simply otherwise could not.
These enforcement efforts have resulted in a lowering of the 85th percentile speed by as
much as 15 MPH on 71percent of the school zone roadways, since the program began
in October 2011.
A more complete look at our enforcement efforts is provided in the report sections below
and in Appendix C.
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5School Speed Camera Report to the County Council 2014
Howard County Department of Police
Section 1. Enforcement Activity to Include Locations/Frequency of Placement
A brief synopsis of each school zone enforcement roadway is provided below; the 2013
complete listing is available in Appendix A, which includes actual dates, time and hours
worked. Roads receiving speed camera enforcement are based on the locations with
the most significant speeding problems, as determined by surveys taken of eachroadway. Residents may request additional attention be given to roads where they
observe speeding problems.
School Location Hours Citations
Atholton Elem. 6600 Seneca Dr 49.73 6310100 blk. Donleigh Dr 33.69 1
Atholton High 6500 blk. Freetown Rd 220.06 405
Bellow Springs Elem. Old Stockbridge Rd @ Elem School 89.21 16
Bethel Christian Acad. 8400 blk. Savage Guilford Rd 9.01 3
Bollman Bridge Elem/ Vollmerhausen Rd@ Bethel Christian 144.48 1078
Patuxent Valley MS/ EB 9100 Blk. Vollmerhausen Rd 31.23 9
Bethel Christian Acad.
Bonnie Branch MS/ Ilchester Rd 168.61 411Ilchester Elem/OLPH
Bryant Woods Elem SB 10400 Blk. Green Mtn. Circle 23.85 0
Bushy Park Elem 14000 Blk. Carrs Mill Road 204.67 347
Centennial HS/ Centennial Ln @ Centennial Woods Ln 189.18 1690Burleigh Manor MS
Centennial Lane Elem NB Centennial Ln @ Culverene Road 44.80 187Centennial Ln @ Breconshire Rd 185.07 527
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Howard County Department of Police
Chaplegate Christian 2700 Marriottsville Road 56.01 8
Clarksville ES/ NB 121 Blk. MD Route 108 22.83 3River Hill HS SB MD Rt. 108@Broad Meadow Ln 25.08 5
Clarksville MS/ 6700 Blk. Guilford Rd 56.60 26Pointers Run ES
Clemmons Crossing ES 10300 Blk. Quarterstaff Rd 56.49 27
Columbia Academy 10300 Blk. Old Columbia Rd 204.55 794
Cradlerock ES/ EB 6600 Blk. Cradlerock Way 31.25 36
Lake Elkhorn MS WB 6700 Blk. Cradlerock Way 56.47 123NB Cradlerock Way @ Melting Shadows Ln 1.00 0
Dayton Oaks ES 4600 Blk. Ten Oaks Rd 239.09 610
Deep Run ES 6700 Old Waterloo Rd 130.75 190
Ducketts Lane ES 6500 Blk. Ducketts Ln 23.35 23
Dunloggin MS/ WB 9100 Blk. Northfield Rd 15.37 18Northfield ES
Elkridge ES/ Montgomery Rd 120.61 198Elkridge Landing MS
Ellicott Mills MS/ 4400 Blk. Montgomery Rd 85.18 36Veteran ES
Folly Quarter MS/ Triadelphia Rd 142.23 849Triadelphia Ridge ES WB Triadelphia Rd @ Hunt Ridge 28.78 53
Forest Ridge ES 9500 Blk. Gorman Rd 245.05 339
Fulton ES/Lime Kiln MS/ MD Rte 216 @ School Complex 50.66 10Reservoir HS
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Howard County Department of Police
Glenelg Country 12700 Blk. Folly Quarter Rd 57.88 7
Glenelg HS Burntwoods Rd 266.47 4973400 Blk. Sharp Rd 48.54 22
Glenwood MS 2600 Blk. MD Rte 97 46.84 9
Gorman Crossing ES EB Skylark@ Winter Sun Rd 42.37 4
Murray Hill MS WB Skylark@ Winter Sun Rd 11.95 1
Guilford ES Oakland Mills Rd 166.53 57
Great Star Drive Great Star Dr@ Eastern Star Way 165.63 565
Hammond MS/ES 10500 Blk. Graeloch Dr 16.02 7
Hammond HS Guilford Rd 39.08 10
Hollifield Station ES Rogers Ave@ Patapsco Valley Dr 241.52 19158600 Blk. Stonehouse Dr 11.62 0
Jeffers Hill ES Tamar Dr 187.42 10129100 Blk. Old Montgomery Rd 14.96 6
Laurel Woods ES SB N Laurel Rd@ Covered Wagon Dr 24.53 51NB N Laurel Rd@ Old Lantern Way 80.98 94
Lisbon ES Frederick Rd 90.62 161
Long Reach HS SB 6100 Blk. Old Dobbin Rd 5.42 3EB Tamar Dr@ Old Dobbin Rd 163.90 1677WB Tamar Dr@ Autumn Ridge 166.20 1660
Manor Woods ES Frederick Rd 137.94 296
Marriotts Ridge HS/ Old Frederick Rd 22.35 0Mount View MS
Mayfield Woods MS EB 7900 Blk. Mayfield Ave 19.50 0
Mt Airy Bible Acad. 16800 Blk. Old Frederick Rd 38.07 20
Mt Hebron HS St Johns Ln @ Old St Johns Ln 196.88 720
Oakland Mills MS/HS Kilimanjaro Rd 156.25 370
Phelps Luck ES 5300 Blk. High Tor Hill 94.83 82
Phillips School Whiskey Bottom Rd 149.22 919
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Howard County Department of Police
Rockburn ES Montgomery Rd 16.47 5
Running Brook ES SB 5200 Blk. West Running Brook Rd 12.27 0
St Augustine School NB 6000 Blk. Old Washington Rd 127.12 223
St Johns Lane ES St Johns Ln 275.37 616
St Johns Parish Day EB 9200 Blk. Frederick Rd 12.63 2
St Louis School 6300 Blk. Ten Oaks Rd 131.03 137
St Paul’s Resurrection North Chatham Rd 67.01 62
Stevens Forest ES Stevens Forest Rd 85.22 92
Swansfield ES Cedar Ln 300.88 774
Talbott Springs ES Whiteacre Rd 71.15 90
Thunderhill ES SB 9300 Blk. Mellonbrook Rd 22.98 7
Waterloo ES/ Old Montgomery Rd 135.63 138MD School for Deaf
Waverly ES EB 10200 Blk. Wetherburn Rd 3.05 0EB Old Frederick RD@ Wetherburn Rd 34.23 19
West Friendship ES Frederick Rd 173.23 323
Worthington ES SB 4500 Blk. Doncaster Dr 41.57 43WB 4600 Blk. Roundhill Rd 11.07 9
The five locations where the fastest speeds occurred are listed below:
Ten Oaks Road – Dayton Oaks elementary School – 77 MPH in a 35 MPH zone
Centennial Lane – Centennial High School – 72 MPH in a 35 MPH zone
Whiskey Bottom Road – Phillips School – 71 MPH in a 35 MPH zone
Triadelphia Road – Folly Quarter Middle School – 64 MPH in a 30 MPH Zone N. Laurel Road – Laurel Woods Elementary School – 59 MPH in a 25 MPH zone
Citations were issued in all five of these instances and they have all been paid.
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9School Speed Camera Report to the County Council 2014
Howard County Department of Police
Section 2. Citation Information to Include Violations Photographed, Rejected, Issued
In 2013, there were a possible 21,898 violations recorded by our detection equipment,
but 20,789 citations were mailed. The difference in the number of possible violations
recorded and the number of those violations mailed is due to our multi-level review and
rejection of citations based upon our strict quality-control measures. That process isdiscussed further in Section 7. Violations may be rejected for a number of reasons,
which are detailed in a full report under Appendix B.
Many of the citations are rejected during our “Post Print Review and Rejection” process.
During that process, a police employee reviews each citation to ensure that it meets our
strict criteria for mailing, even if the electronic image appears acceptable.
During the process, we rejected 256 printed citations for the following reasons:
unclear registration plate;
lack of a fixed object in the photo; photos were too dark;
photos were generally unclear; or
registration plate was obstructed.
Even though these 256 violations were acceptable when viewed on the computer due to
the ability to enlarge the photographs, we rejected them upon reviewing the final paper
product. This is done to enhance public confidence in the program.
Emergency vehicle operators were also issued citations if they were detected to be
exceeding the threshold speed and were not on emergency calls. In total, 129
emergency vehicles (fire and police, including those from out-of-county) were detectedspeeding. Of those, 79 were on emergency calls; the remaining 50 cases resulted in
citations being issued. Payment was made by the responsible party, unless it could be
demonstrated that they were, in fact, on an emergency call.
Thirty-two non-emergency Howard County government vehicles were detected
exceeding the speed limit resulting in citations being issued. The fines associated with
these citations were paid by the individual driver from personal funds. School buses,
which are owned by contractors, received 5 speed camera citations during this reporting
period. Those citations have been paid.
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10School Speed Camera Report to the County Council 2014
Howard County Department of Police
Of all vehicle owners who received citations in 2013, 47 chose to appear in court:
Cases Adjudicated in Court 2013
Month Cases
Scheduled
Guilty Not Guilty % Guilty % Not Guilty
January 2013
12 11 1 91.66 8.33
February 2013
7 7 0 100%
March 2013
1 1 0 100%
April 2013
2 2 0 100%
May 2013
1 1 0 100%
June 2013
5 5 0 100%
July 2013
2 2 0 100%
August 2013
7 6 1 85% 15%
September 2013
2 2 0 100 %
October 2013
5 5 0 100 %
November 2013
3 3 0 100%
December 2013
0 0 0 -
2013 Totals47 45 2 95.74% 4.25%
*Judges have used some judicial discretion in hearing these cases and have made two findings
of “not guilty” of the total 20,7 89 citations issued. None of these findings involved questions or
concerns about the validity of the equipment or the program.
Section 3. Collision Information / Comparison
During our initial study and consideration of speed cameras, we conducted a 5-year
review of collisions in school zones. We found that overall; we averaged 166 collisions
per year, including 14 personal injury and 148 property damage. Our recent review of
the 2013 school zone collisions shows a total of 120 collisions, a 27 percent reduction
from our initial 5-year study. Of those 120 collisions, 13 were personal injury and 107
were property damage.
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11School Speed Camera Report to the County Council 2014
Howard County Department of Police
Section 4. Updated Speed Surveys
Every school zone in Howard County was surveyed for speed, both before the speed
camera program was launched, with research beginning in 2009, and again during thecurrent school year. These enforcement efforts have resulted in a lowering of the 85th
percentile speed by as much as 15 MPH on 71 percent of the school zone roadways,
since the program began in October 2011.
Appendix C shows the completed surveys on each roadway and contains both the pre-
and post-enforcement study information.
Both the pre- and post-enforcement surveys were conducted in school zones for a 48-
hour period when school was in session for both days.
Section 5. Financial Information to Include Program Costs
Fiscal Year 2013: During FY13, the speed camera program cost a total of $687,649.00
to operate. Those costs included $359,310.00 to the vendor, $319,481.00 in personnel
costs, $8,858.00 in general operating costs. The program received $707,527.00 in fines
collected from citations paid during that time period, plus $19,063.00 in fees from our
partners resulting in funds collected over program costs of $38,941.00.
Total
Program
Costs
Vendor BillsPersonnel
Costs
Operating
Costs
Citations
Paid
Misc
Payments
(Charles
County)
Funds
Collected
Over Costs
Dollars 687,649.00 359,310.00 319,481 8,858.00 707,527.00 19,063.00 38,941.00
-50,000.000.00
50,000.00100,000.00
150,000.00200,000.00250,000.00300,000.00350,000.00400,000.00450,000.00500,000.00550,000.00600,000.00650,000.00700,000.00750,000.00
FY 13 FUNDING DATADATA PROVIDED BY THE HOWARD COUNTY BUDGET OFFICE
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12School Speed Camera Report to the County Council 2014
Howard County Department of Police
Fiscal Year 2014, (July – December 2013): The program has cost $439,444.00 to
operate. These costs included $255,743.00 to the vendor, $179,367.00 in personnel
costs and $4,334.00 in other operating costs. The program has received $448,280.00 in
citation payments and $6,932.00 in partner (Charles County) payments, resulting in
$15,768.00 in funds collected over program costs.
See Appendix F for Expenditures & Encumbrances Spread Sheets for FY13 and FY14.
In total, since its inception in late 2011, the program has collected approximately
$22,000, which is being directed to school, traffic and pedestrian safety projects, as
required by state law.
Total funds collected over costs:-$32,475(FY12) + $38,941(FY13) + $15,768(FY14: July – Dec. 2013) = $22,234
The Howard County Department of Public Works has identified the first round of projects
to be undertaken with these funds.
Bryant Woods Elementary: pedestrian refuge island at Green Mountain Circleand Windstream Drive;
Stevens Forest Elementary/Oakland Mills Middle: curb bump-outs at FarewellRoad near Woodblock Row;
Ilchester Elementary: crosswalk and detectable surface at Ellis Lane andIlchester Road;
Glenelg High School: sidewalk addition on Sharp Road near Celbridge Drive;
Total
Program
Costs
Vendor BillsPersonnel
Costs
Operating
Costs
Citations
Paid
Misc.
Payments
(Charles
County)
Funds
Collected
Over Costs
Dollars 439,444.00 255,743.00 179,367 4,334.00 448,280.00 6,932.00 15,678.00
0.00
50,000.00
100,000.00
150,000.00
200,000.00
250,000.00
300,000.00
350,000.00
400,000.00
450,000.00
500,000.00
FY 14 FUNDING DATADATA PROVIDED BY THE HOWARD COUNTY BUDGET OFFICE
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Howard County Department of Police
Pedestrian safety on Old Dobbin Lane: add detectable surface to ADA rampsand crosswalk and add warning signs near shopping center;
Pedestrian safety on Shaker Driver: add pedestrian ramps and crosswalkconnecting Columbia Association pathway and a play area.
Section 6 List of School Zones and Any Changes
In response to a Photo Enforcement Sign change in the Maryland Manual on Uniform
Traffic Control Devices (MD MUTCD) we decided to be proactive and change out our
Photo Enforced Signs with the new sign School Speed Photo Enforced sign. The MD
MUTCD did not set a deadline for this change, but we decided the best course of action
was to make the sign change prior to any mandates.
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14School Speed Camera Report to the County Council 2014
Howard County Department of Police
Appendix D provides a list of all schools and locations where police are authorized to
conduct automated speed camera enforcement.
The Department of Public Works – Traffic Engineering Division reports that other than
the sign changes, they added a School Zone on Ducketts Lane for the new elementary
school and a School Zone on St. Johns Lane at Old St. Johns Lane to accommodate
students walking to Mt. Hebron High School.
See Appendix E for details on these new School Zones.
Section 7. Major Problems or Irregularities
The program has not encountered any major problems in 2013.
Minimal public opposition: For the most part during 2013, driver opposition to the
program has diminished greatly. In the past, drivers have yelled obscenities at theoperator, thrown water bottles at the van and, in once case, a driver shot a marble at the
van. We have no known similar cases in 2013 and while the occasional obscenity has
been yelled at the van operators, those types of incidents have also tapered off.
However in early September we had two incidents where PCU cabinets were
vandalized. A cabinet on Burntwoods Road was burned, resulting in a total loss of the
cabinet and its contents, a total of $15,000, which was covered by the vendor. On the
same evening, a cabinet on Tamar Drive was spray painted. Neither of these incidents
caused us to lose any enforcement time due the vendor’s ability to provide a spare
cabinet. We have not been able to identify the suspects in either case.
Media coverage of speed camera problems outside of Howard County: While speed
camera programs in other jurisdictions have been criticized and questioned by the media
and the public, the Howard County program has been acknowledged as a successful
model. Complaints in other places are not applicable in Howard, as our program uses
different technology (laser, not radar) and a different quality-control, review and
oversight process
In fact, a December 2013 editorial in the Baltimore Sun highlighted the success ofHoward County’s speed camera program, and suggested that Baltimore City “ would dowell to read the report Howard County Police Chief William J. McMahon filed in March
about that county’s speed camera program…in terms of doing more with less, Howardis hard to beat.” See Appendix G for the entire editorial.
Here's how the Howard system works:
STEP ONE: One of our two mobile vans, with equipment leased at a monthly rate
from Xerox, is dispatched to a school location to identify speeding vehicles. Because
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15School Speed Camera Report to the County Council 2014
Howard County Department of Police
the units are mobile, there are technicians that operate each van. Those technicians
are Howard County police employees. The laser camera is checked hourly for
accuracy. The technicians capture data, and then return to a county office to
download that data. The Howard County Program Administrator selects the
enforcement locations not the vendor.
Beginning in August 2013 we began utilizing the PCUs and the process of running
that instrument is similar to that of the van only that it is secured to the ground in a
cabinet. Our technicians operate theses systems in the same manner as the van,
monitoring the violations as they occur, conducting hourly tests all via a wireless
connection.
STEP TWO: The downloaded data is sent to the vendor, which formats it and returns
it to the county in form that allows our employees to verify whether the data and
image meet our criteria for determining if a violation occurred. This is the first step
where the vendor touches the data. But note that Xerox is compensated at this stage
based on the amount of data that Howard County employees send to them. They
have no control over the number they receive, or the locations where the violations
come from, and thus cannot control their income. The per-citation fee actually goes
down when the number processed goes up. If Howard sends 100 violations, Xerox is
paid to process 100.
STEP THREE: The formatted data is reviewed by a Howard County police civilian
employee, different from the technicians in the van, to insure that violations occurred.
STEP FOUR: Those alleged violations are then approved by a sworn Howard
County police supervisor.
STEP FIVE: The vendor is then told to hit the "print" button on violations approved by
the supervisor. This is the second step where Xerox is involved.
STEP SIX: Howard County police then verify that the printed image is of sufficient
clarity to justify a violation notice. Only then is it mailed to the vehicle owner.
Again, of those six steps, just two involve the vendor. In every sense, the Howard
County Police Department operates the program, not Xerox. And vehicle owners with
questions or concerns speak directly with a Howard County employee, not the
vendor.
Additionally we conduct our own independent tests of our systems each month to ensure
their reliability. These tests reaffirmed what we have believed and known since the
inception of our program, that the Vitronic PoliScan is an accurate and reliable Speed
Detection Instrument.
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16School Speed Camera Report to the County Council 2014
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Section 8. Program Recommendations
The Howard County Speed Camera program continues to show success by reducing
speeds in school zones and reducing collisions.
Our program was designed as an additional tool to supplement the efforts of patrol
officers in furtherance of one of our department goals: Save Lives, Prevent Collisions
and Facilitate the Efficient Movement of Vehicular and Pedestrian Traffic. The days and
hours of documented enforcement show that this program is a dedicated resource which
truly enhances our ability to improve safety in school zones.
The County Code authorizes the use of eight speed camera systems and during 2013,
we expanded our program from two detection units, both vans, to four total detection
units with the addition of two PCUs. We recommend the continued use of these four
systems at this time. We also recommend a continuing review to identify any additionalschool zones that may benefit from the use of a portable unit.
An additional School Zone will be established and be eligible for Automated
Enforcement when Thomas Viaduct Middle School opens in the fall of 2014.
We continue to believe that the Howard County Speed Camera Program serves as a
model for other jurisdictions.
Recommended