Speed Camera Ticket Defense Stories
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Speed Camera Error Defense
Md. man gets speed camera ticket after driving under the limit
SILVER SPRING, Md. – A driver in Silver Spring has received an official letter of apology from the Montgomery County police after being issued a speed camera ticket for driving 34 mph in a 35 mph zone.
Identified only as Garin to protect his privacy, he was photographed driving north in the 9000 block of Georgia Avenue on May 27 at 9:37 a.m. However, the ticket contains a second image taken at 10:01 a.m., depicting an entirely different vehicle.
"My car was unquestionably below the speed limit. The other vehicle was evidently speeding, and the fact that one image was captured 24 minutes after the other should have been immediately noticeable," Garin shared with WTOP. "A simple glance should have raised concerns."
In response, Assistant Chief of the Montgomery County Police, Thomas Didone, acknowledges that neither of the two images were scrutinized closely enough before approval.
"To address this, the involved employees will undergo counseling and further training to ascertain the lapses and prevent future occurrences," he explained.
Didone also arranged a meeting with the entire speed camera team to dissect the case and address the error. Although Didone believes that Program Manager Richard Harrison would have detected the error before the scheduled court date in September, he acknowledges that the situation shouldn't have reached this stage.
The police department is also in discussions with Xerox regarding technological inadequacies that contributed to the oversight. Firstly, the reviewers can't view full-sized images without individually clicking on each of the two photographs. Secondly, the black data bar at the bottom of each image is virtually unreadable on the smaller versions. This bar contains essential information like date, time, and speed. In Garin's situation, the data bar would have highlighted the error.
Didone mentions that Xerox is actively working on a solution to rectify these issues, which may include magnifying or enhancing the data bar.
To address concerns, Montgomery County police have directed Xerox to review all tickets issued by the Georgia Avenue camera over the past 60 days to identify any similar errors.
Furthermore, Didone personally penned an apology letter to Garin on July 1. Garin expressed his satisfaction with the way the department handled his case, stating, "I'm relieved this occurred in Montgomery County and not in D.C., where I've heard unsettling accounts about the system's operation."
Despite the satisfactory response, Ron Ely of the Maryland Drivers Alliance, a critic of speed cameras, urges the public to remain vigilant. He argues that errors of this nature highlight the potential for subtler mistakes to go unnoticed. Ely has advocated for the Maryland General Assembly to reform or eliminate the speed camera program. He emphasizes that public concern persists due to instances where accurate time-stamped evidence isn't required for independent verification of speed.
Identified only as Garin to protect his privacy, he was photographed driving north in the 9000 block of Georgia Avenue on May 27 at 9:37 a.m. However, the ticket contains a second image taken at 10:01 a.m., depicting an entirely different vehicle.
"My car was unquestionably below the speed limit. The other vehicle was evidently speeding, and the fact that one image was captured 24 minutes after the other should have been immediately noticeable," Garin shared with WTOP. "A simple glance should have raised concerns."
In response, Assistant Chief of the Montgomery County Police, Thomas Didone, acknowledges that neither of the two images were scrutinized closely enough before approval.
"To address this, the involved employees will undergo counseling and further training to ascertain the lapses and prevent future occurrences," he explained.
Didone also arranged a meeting with the entire speed camera team to dissect the case and address the error. Although Didone believes that Program Manager Richard Harrison would have detected the error before the scheduled court date in September, he acknowledges that the situation shouldn't have reached this stage.
The police department is also in discussions with Xerox regarding technological inadequacies that contributed to the oversight. Firstly, the reviewers can't view full-sized images without individually clicking on each of the two photographs. Secondly, the black data bar at the bottom of each image is virtually unreadable on the smaller versions. This bar contains essential information like date, time, and speed. In Garin's situation, the data bar would have highlighted the error.
Didone mentions that Xerox is actively working on a solution to rectify these issues, which may include magnifying or enhancing the data bar.
To address concerns, Montgomery County police have directed Xerox to review all tickets issued by the Georgia Avenue camera over the past 60 days to identify any similar errors.
Furthermore, Didone personally penned an apology letter to Garin on July 1. Garin expressed his satisfaction with the way the department handled his case, stating, "I'm relieved this occurred in Montgomery County and not in D.C., where I've heard unsettling accounts about the system's operation."
Despite the satisfactory response, Ron Ely of the Maryland Drivers Alliance, a critic of speed cameras, urges the public to remain vigilant. He argues that errors of this nature highlight the potential for subtler mistakes to go unnoticed. Ely has advocated for the Maryland General Assembly to reform or eliminate the speed camera program. He emphasizes that public concern persists due to instances where accurate time-stamped evidence isn't required for independent verification of speed.