The Columbus Police Department and the Muscogee County School District contracted with privately owned Redspeed USA to install cameras in 20 school zones around town.
The program, says Chief of Police Stoney Mathis in a press release, "is designed to combat the pressing issue of speeding in school zones, particularly concerning Georgia's current ranking as 36th in the country for school zone safety."
The collaboration is made possible under the 2018 Georgia House Bill 978, which allows local municipalities and government agencies to partner with non-law enforcement companies to enforce speed limits by issuing tickets to those who speed in a school zone.
The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer spoke with Columbus Police Department Corporal Aaron Hoffa, the School Zone Speed Detection Program Coordinator, to get some clarity on how the program works and the details surrounding its implementation.
WHAT EXACTLY IS THE SCHOOL ZONE SAFETY PROGRAM?
The CPD promises that Redspeed will cover all costs associated with "equipment, maintenance, permitting, and operational infrastructure, ensuring the program's sustainability" and will pose no financial cost to the taxpayer.
However, HB 978 expressly states that law enforcement agencies or their acting agent (Redspeed) shall perform independent calibration tests on the automated devices once every 12 months.
When the Ledger-Enquirer asked Hoffa about who is responsible for upkeep and calibration, he said, "This is the responsibility of the owner of the equipment, RedSpeed."
In the city's press release, Muscogee County School District Superintendent David Lewis, says the program is meant to alert drivers to the school zones, reduce speeds in them, and increase safety."
The cameras will only be installed in zones that the district sees as needing "enhanced safety measures." This data, according to Hoffa, comes from an onsite traffic evaluation conducted by third-party Redspeed and they determined which zones had the most speeding violations.
Drivers will only be cited if the cameras catch them going 11 or more miles per hour over the speed limit.
Schools that will be affected:
- Blackmon Road Middle
- Blanchard Elementary
- Clubview Elementary
- Davis Elementary
- Dimon Elementary
- Double Churches Elementary
- Downtown Elementary
- Eagle Ridge Academy
- Eddy Middle
- Forrest Road Elementary
- Fort Middle
- Georgetown Elementary
- Hannan Elementary
- Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary
- Midland Academy
- Reese Road Leadership Academy
- Ridgon Elementary
- River Road Elementary
- Waddell Elementary
- Wyntonn Arts Academy
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Once a speeder is caught by the cameras, a picture of the car's tag, along with the citation, is mailed to the owner of the vehicle approximately 10 days later.
Hoffa explains the citations are vetted By "by two separate individuals at RedSpeed. It is then sent to CPD where we again go through an additional vetting process. If it is confirmed that the potential violation is valid it is sent back to RedSpeed who then bills the registered owner of the vehicle.
However, the recipient can contest it either by affidavit or requesting a hearing. The owner of the car can be excused from the citation if they can prove they weren't the driver, the car was stolen, or by offering the name of the driver of the vehicle.
This new system is not a function of the criminal courts and is considered a civil matter, therefore points will not be assigned to your driving record, but there are other consequences for not paying the fines.
The city must follow the below guidelines for signage to enforce the citations:
- The signs must be visible within 500 feet of the of the monitored zone.
- They have to be visibly plain and viewable in all traffic conditions.
- They cannot be obstructed in any way.
- They should be 24 inches by 30 inches.
As of publication of this article, many school zones have not yet put out the appropriate signage. Hoffa calls it an "ongoing process" and that even though the program was set to go live in August, installing the warning signs "has been delayed until completion."
Drivers should be aware that the "warning" period begins Aug. 8 and will last until Sept. 8, at which time the cameras will begin issuing actual citations instead of warnings.
There is some controversy with the program in other counties in Georgia.
Although Columbus city officials defend the efficacy of the cameras for speed reduction, there have been some negative outcomes in other counties.
Class action lawsuits were filed against Redspeed in a few counties in Northeast and Southern Georgia and a few lawmakers have expressed concern about the "ticket-happy cameras that benefit the private companies," reports Fox5 in Atlanta.
Jonesboro drivers claim to have been ticketed based on incorrect speed limit information and malfunctioning warning lights on the sign.
Driver Alleice Woodhouse recalled her hearing to Fox5 in Atlanta, "This is my way to work every morning," she told Judge Wood. "The school lights don't blink at 8:30. They kind of stop around 8 o'clock, and I have photos that I went by and I took. So, technically, the speed limit was 35 at this time."
Investigations into ticket data found that 6,350 violations were mailed to drivers that never should have been cited and the Jonesboro Police Department had to issue refunds of bogus tickets totaling $76,400.
Riverdale, Georgia, Police Chief Todd Spivey questioned the efforts of the initiative, suggesting it might not be worth the trouble. He asked, "Do we need to revisit the idea of, is it really working?"
A class action suit, Dunn vs. Redspeed GA LLC, was filed in the Augusta office of the US District Court in which the main argument "centers around allegations of racketeering and corrupt organization activities under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO)," cited legal website Law360.
Other lawsuits allege that Redspeed is "impersonating law enforcement officers," and that, in some instances, the practices are unconstitutional.
When the Ledger-Enquirer asked Hoffa about the lawsuits in other counties, he passed it off to another department, saying, "This question needs to be addressed by the city attorney's office."
You could face some pretty hefty penalties for non-compliance.
The speeding infractions will cost Columbus drivers, but the penalties can get pretty intense if the fines aren't paid. Car owners will be fined $75 for the first violation and $125 for the second.
However, if the owner doesn't pay and doesn't respond to the summons for court after the allotted time period, their registration will be revoked by the Department of Revenue and it will become non-renewable.
As a result, Georgia residents could suffer the following, according to the Georgia Department of Dispute Resolution:
- Additional late fees and penalties
- Traffic stops and additional tickets by law enforcement
- Inactivated vehicle registration
- In some cases, vehicles with expired registrations may be subject to towing
- If your registration has been expired for more than nine months, it may not be renewable through standard processes
- Some insurance companies may not cover claims if your vehicle registration is expired
The bottom line is that Columbus drivers will need to slow down in the school zones. But also, should look closely and respond promptly to any citations you receive from the RedSpeed cameras.
©2024 the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (Columbus, Ga.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
