O'Malley: City and counties must STOP charging speed camera companies per-citation

[KSweeley]

Stating it's AGAINST Maryland State law!!!!

Link: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/mar...10,print.story

10:24 PM EST, December 11, 2012

Gov. Martin O'Malley said Tuesday that state law bars speed camera contractors from being paid based on the number of citations issued or paid — a so-called bounty system approach used by Baltimore City, Baltimore County and elsewhere in Maryland.

"The law says you're not supposed to charge by volume. I don't think we should charge by volume," O'Malley said. "If any county is, they need to change their program."

In brief comments, O'Malley weighed in for the first time on criticism of speed cameras since The Baltimore Sun published an investigation of the devices, focusing on the city's network of 83 radar-equipped cameras. Several state lawmakers have since proposed changing state law that governs how counties and cities operate speed camera programs. Among the proposals is to add language clearly barring payments per citation.

"bounty system"?!?! Sounds like legalized racketeering to me:

The speed camera program has been lucrative for Baltimore and its current contractor, Xerox State and Local Solutions.

The city took in $19.2 million in revenue from speed cameras last fiscal year — $4.2 million more than expected. City officials said they expect revenue to drop as the cameras lead drivers to reduce speeds, and budgeted $11.4 million for this fiscal year.

In the first five months of the fiscal year, the city has taken in $9.6 million in revenue.

More than $48 million has been collected since the program began in late 2009.

The city has paid Xerox about $13 million of that three-year total. Under its contract, which is about to end as the city switches vendors, Xerox gets up to $19.20 of each $40 citation. The company's share is smaller for citations logged by certain cameras, such as those where red light cameras exist.

And even though Governor O'Malley said this type of system is illegal under MD State Law, Baltimore City REFUSED to comment on whether they will rule out this pay-by-ticket system:

The governor's comments come as the city negotiates a five-year contract with a new speed camera vendor, Brekford Corp. of Anne Arundel County. City transportation spokeswoman Adrienne Barnes said the negotiations are not expected to wrap up until after the first of the year. She did not respond to an email asking whether the city would rule out a pay-by-ticket contract with Brekford.

[Steveg85321]

Gov. O'Malley is a mealy-mouthed, pandering hypocrite; this is news. He had to know what the arrangements were even as they were being set up, but had no problem with it until now when the stink is spreading. All of a sudden he is on the side of ethics and law. Why does this not surprise me?

[RIKMAN]

Oh outstanding! The State and the counties trying to see who can get in the public pockets the fastest...all the while claiming no bounties and ethics!

Right! The program is a sham! but the politicians will hide behind the ideal that it's for the children and public safety.

It's all about the $