A new report highlights serious issues in Montgomery County’s speed camera program, urging better oversight and accuracy in billing practices.
Montgomery County: A recent report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is raising some eyebrows about the county’s speed camera program. It turns out the police department hasn’t been double-checking invoices before shelling out cash.
Back in 2022, the county hired a contractor to set up a digital camera system to catch speeders and red-light runners. The contractor was supposed to handle everything from collecting fines to tracking payments. But in 2023, the county paid over $5 million for this service, and it seems the contractor wasn’t holding up their end of the deal.
The OIG report points out that the police department didn’t consistently verify how many cameras they were being billed for. From January to June 2023, they were charged for 91 cameras every month, but the numbers started to vary later in the year. A manager even admitted that the earlier numbers might not have been right.
In July 2023, the contractor began using a new report to keep better track of the cameras, but the OIG is still pushing for the Automated Traffic Enforcement Unit to create clear procedures for confirming how many cameras are in use each month.
On top of that, the OIG found that the police department doesn’t have set procedures for daily tests of the speed cameras, even though Maryland law requires it. They say the department does document these tests, but without written policies, things can get messy.
There were also issues with the paper logs for these tests, like wrong dates and missing signatures. The OIG is recommending that the police department get their act together and make sure these tests are done and documented properly.
Lastly, the report suggests that the county might have overpaid by at least $2.5 million because they weren’t keeping an eye on how well the contractor was performing. The OIG is urging the police department to start monitoring these performance metrics to avoid future overpayments.
For those interested, you can check out the full 17-page report for all the details.
