http://autos.aol.com/article/
A Mailbox? A Trash Can? A Speed-Trap Camera?
Police are making it tougher for motorists to spot speed cameras
Aug 21, 2012 | By: AOL Autos Staff
Drivers are getting more savvy about spotting speed cameras along roads and highways. In turn, police in one major U.S. city are getting more savvy about disguising their revenue-generating cameras.
Authorities in and around Washington D.C. are expanding their speed camera programs, reports the Washington Examiner. And now, they're purchasing many cameras that look like mailboxes and trash containers to unsuspecting motorists. They're also more mobile, so police can reposition them so drivers cannot get used to seeing them in one particular area.
Prince George's County purchased nearly 60 mobile cameras last year, and issued 349,000 citations in the first nine months of the program that resulted in approximately $8 million in revenue, reports the news outlet. Next year, the county expects to generate $28 million in revenue.
A similar speed-camera program in D.C. itself generated $55 million in fiscal year 2011, says the site. Not everyone is pleased.
"These newer cameras are lower to the ground and hidden between bushes and signs," said Ron Ely, editor of the website StopBigBrotherMd.org. "Not only can they move these cameras, but they are less visible from the road."
Full story: WashingtonExaminer.com.
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