Changes to Speed Camera Laws Up for Debate

Three bills related to speed cameras will be the subject of a hearing Friday afternoon in Annapolis:

• HB 857 would exempt law enforcement vehicles from receiving citations from speed cameras.

• HB 944 would shift the responsibility of signing off on speed camera documentation from a police officer to an “authorized person.”

• HB 1044 would require an independent party to calibrate speed cameras; require speed camera documentation be made available to drivers who are issued citations for their defense; and require a summons be issued to speed camera operators at a defendant’s request.

In 2009, the state legislature authorized the use of speed cameras in school and work zones.

In 2011, the  the use of two mobile cameras in school zones. The cameras are operational Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. At any given time, one of the two vans may on any of the designated streets listed on the Howard County Police Department’s website. 

, about 104 citations were being issued per day, leading to a monthly revenue total of about $84,000 according to Capt. John McKissick.

Money from citations will help fund the staff and equipment for the speed camera program. If there is any surplus, it will be earmarked for traffic and pedestrian safety programs, according to County Executive Ken Ulman and Howard County Police Chief William McMahon.

What do you think about speed cameras? Should police be exempt from citations?