ABCNews 7 did a story on ticket challenges, noting that many some speed camera tickets go unchallenged. They relate the story of the recipient of one ticket issued by DC:
"Tony Rodriguez got a speed camera ticket he should have challenged. For starters, the ticket information is incorrect.
The plate picture starts with H-9. But it was recorded as H-8. The ticket states the vehicle is a Chevy. But it’s a Mercury. And the car in the picture is a District cab. But Rodriguez’ taxi was a Diamond cab, which have diamond-shaped lights on the roof. That’s not what’s in the picture.
He also said he sold the cab years ago.
“I opened up the mail, I looked at it and started laughing,” he said." Rodriguez missed the date to challenge his ticket, however MPD did finally void the ticket.... after ABCNews 7 contacted them about it.
Unfortunately the press cannot chase down every camera error n every jurisdiction. StopBigBrotherMD frequently hears from the recipients of erroneous speed camera tickets, and we've previously reported on cases of incorrect identification of vehicles issued by Baltimore and Brentwood. Sadly MANY of those tickets are never challenged. We've received reports from drivers with credible proof of errors in tickets issued by Forest Heights, Riverdale Park, and College Park where the drivers ultimately paid the ticket, either deciding it was not cost effective to do so or in some cases stating they feared reprisals. In fact many of the drivers who have gone to the trouble of challenging tickets issued by PG County municipalities and other areas have been successful, due to a variety of problems with those town's camera programs.
However the worst case continues to be the town of Forest Heights, where not only have there been a substantial number of drivers who have reported erroneous speed readings, but many who WANTED to challenge tickets have been unable to do so. One driver with credible proof of an error has been waiting since September 2010 for a hearing date, and has been receiving late notices threatening to suspend his registration and imposing additional fines even though he has requested a hearing several times. That town's contractor, Optotraffic, is responsible for scheduling hearings with the district court, and in some cases drivers have been waiting over a year for hearing dates. Additionally, the town of Forest Heights has either denied or stalled in responding to requests under the Maryland Public Information Act, or in a few instances agreeing to release public records only if relevant data was first removed from the documents. This has been done to request both by ticket recipients and by this website, denying the public information about ticket errors, denying defendants evidence they are entitled to have for their defense, and oh by the way also flouting the state's open records laws. Forest Height and Optraffic will NEVER admit to an error, because they both have ENORMOUS financial stakes, and the only solutions to this would be refunding millions of dollars worth of tickets. Allowing full access to public records would run the risk of laying bare the truth of their program's numerous technical and procedural errors.
Sadly, the state of Maryland appears to be content to let things like what is happening with Forest Heights and Optotraffic slide. Not surprising because the state expects to receive receiving a cut of the ticket revenue from Forest Heights and several other Maryland towns whose revenue exceeds a certain percentage of their budget. If Forest Heights had to refund a substantial number of tickets, the state of Maryland would get nothing. Maryland officials should please feel free to prove us wrong by conducting a serious, transparent, and genuinely independent investigation.
Blog Archive
-
►
2019
(3)
- ► November 2019 (1)
- ► August 2019 (1)
- ► February 2019 (1)
-
►
2018
(9)
- ► December 2018 (1)
- ► August 2018 (1)
- ► April 2018 (1)
- ► February 2018 (4)
- ► January 2018 (2)
-
►
2017
(20)
- ► December 2017 (1)
- ► September 2017 (2)
- ► August 2017 (4)
- ► March 2017 (2)
- ► February 2017 (5)
- ► January 2017 (5)
-
►
2016
(21)
- ► December 2016 (4)
- ► November 2016 (3)
- ► October 2016 (1)
- ► April 2016 (2)
- ► March 2016 (2)
- ► February 2016 (4)
- ► January 2016 (3)
-
►
2015
(39)
- ► December 2015 (2)
- ► October 2015 (1)
- ► September 2015 (5)
- ► August 2015 (3)
- ► April 2015 (1)
- ► March 2015 (5)
- ► February 2015 (5)
- ► January 2015 (5)
-
►
2014
(82)
- ► December 2014 (4)
- ► November 2014 (3)
- ► October 2014 (3)
- ► September 2014 (9)
- ► August 2014 (6)
- ► April 2014 (4)
- ► March 2014 (10)
- ► February 2014 (14)
- ► January 2014 (12)
-
►
2013
(102)
- ► December 2013 (11)
- ► November 2013 (10)
- ► October 2013 (9)
- ► September 2013 (5)
- ► August 2013 (7)
- ► April 2013 (7)
- ► March 2013 (14)
- ► February 2013 (6)
- ► January 2013 (8)
-
►
2012
(66)
- ► December 2012 (6)
- ► November 2012 (4)
- ► October 2012 (9)
- ► September 2012 (8)
- ► August 2012 (8)
- ► April 2012 (2)
- ► March 2012 (8)
- ► February 2012 (7)
- ► January 2012 (7)
-
▼
2011
(88)
- ► December 2011 (3)
- ► November 2011 (4)
- ► October 2011 (7)
- ► September 2011 (5)
- ► August 2011 (7)
-
▼
June 2011
(9)
- IIHS and Photo Enforcement Companies Conduct Media...
- US Supreme Court Upholds Right to Confront Accuser
- Optotraffic Expands Business Amid Accuracy Questions
- Driver To File Suit Against Forest Heights For Den...
- I-270 To Get Speed Cameras Next Month in Reduced S...
- New Carrollton Fails to Stand Behind Optotraffic C...
- Capital Beltway to Get Speed Cameras
- Optotraffic and Forest Heights Just Can't Get It R...
- When to Fight a Speed Camera Ticket
- ► April 2011 (6)
- ► March 2011 (9)
- ► February 2011 (10)
- ► January 2011 (10)
-
►
2010
(69)
- ► December 2010 (6)
- ► November 2010 (4)
- ► October 2010 (10)
- ► September 2010 (9)
- ► August 2010 (4)
- ► April 2010 (4)
- ► March 2010 (6)
- ► February 2010 (4)
- ► January 2010 (6)
-
►
2009
(58)
- ► December 2009 (4)
- ► November 2009 (6)
- ► October 2009 (9)
- ► September 2009 (6)
- ► August 2009 (1)
- ► April 2009 (5)
- ► March 2009 (6)
- ► February 2009 (6)
- ► January 2009 (7)
-
►
2008
(17)
- ► December 2008 (4)
- ► November 2008 (4)
- ► October 2008 (1)
- ► September 2008 (1)
- ► August 2008 (2)
- ► March 2008 (2)

Our Top Stories
- Rockville Falsely Accuses School Bus of Speeding
- Montgomery County Has Secret Speed Camera Committee -- Press and Critics Not Welcome
- Montgomery Speed Camera "OmBudsman" Won't Answer Questions
- Montgomery County Issues Erroneous Tickets
- College Park Cited Stationary Bus for Speeding
- Montgomery County ATEU Defends Culture of Secrecy
- How Two-Faced Triple-A Gave Maryland Speed Cameras
- "Secret" Baltimore Speed Camera Audit Found 10% Error Rate
- Speed Camera Reform Act Just a Big Fat Lie
- Court Rules Against Morningside on Public Records Access
- Speed Camera Company Celebrates "Bounty System" Loophole
- Montgomery County Steals Lanes for Expensive Bus Program
- Wicomico County Teachers Say Camera is Not Accurate
- Montgomery Council President Rice Racked Up Tickets
- Circuit Court Rules Innocence is a Defense, Rejects "Snitch" Requirement
- Baltimore Ends Camera Contract, Moves to Hides Records
- Montgomery Scamera Boss Lies About Red Light Camera "Warning Flashes"
- Montgomery County Camera Boss Blocks Public From Secret Meeting
- Salisbury Records Show Calibration Lapses, Sorry No Refunds!!
- Speed Camera Accuracy Questioned in Morningside
- Attorny General Gansler Depicted as "Reckless Passenger"
- Morningside Deployed Cameras Despite County Denial
- Morningside Admits Maintaining No Calibration Records, Doesn't Operate Own Cameras
- ACLU Documents Mass Tracking of Motorists By License Plate Scannrs
- Brekford Demands Tribute to See Calibration Records
- Access To Brekford Calibration Records Stalled in Salisbury, Morningside
- Public and Private Lobbyists Worked to Kill Speed Camera Reform
- Montgomery County Speed Camera Transforms Toyota into Dodge
- Montgomery County Boasts Error Rate "Under Ten Percent"
- Speed Camera Company Collects Dirt on Competitors
- Woman Gets 3 Tickets from DC Without Going There
- Legislature Raises Gas Tax
- Laurel, Hagerstown Circumvent Calibration Requirement
- Speed Camera Calibration Fails To Ensure Accuracy
- Speed Camera Programs Flout Sunshine Law
- Xerox Admits 5% Error Rate For Speed Camera Tickets
- Baltimore Cites Motionless Car For Speeding
- O'Malley Says Speed Camera Bounties Are Illegal
- Baltimore Ticketed Innocent Delivery Vehicle: Documents Prove Speed Camera Error
- Rockville Sees Huge Surge in Red Light Violations
- Trucking Company Challenges Accuracy of Baltimore Citations: Videos Prove Speed Camera Errors
- Speed Camera Salesman Caught Speeding AGAIN
- Riverdale Park Defends Forgery of Police Signatures
- High Court Rules Local Governments Above the Law
- Riverdale Park Allowed Civilians to Forge Police Approvals
- Baltimore Speed Camera Issues Ticket to the Dead
- Statewide Speed Cameras Now a $77Million Per Year Industry
- PG County Court Presumes All Defendants Guilty
- Town Releases Documents Proving Errors With Optotraffic Cameras
- Man arrested for asserting innocence in speed camera hearing
- Optotraffic Representative Caught Speeding
- Driver Uses Carchip to Challenge Optotraffic Camera
- Deceased Baltimore Cop Signs 2000 Citations
- Montgomery County Denies Right To Face Camera Operator In Court
- ACS Buys Steak Dinners For Lawmakers
- Baltimore City Issues Hundreds of Tickets in Error
- Baltimore Writes Speed Camera Revenues Into Budget Before Cameras Approved
- Camera Mistakenly Accuses Driver of 100mph Rampage
- Montgomery County Scamera Contract Includes Massive PR Campaign
- Optotraffic Investigates Possible Speed Camera Errors
- Speed Camera Legislation Attracts Lobbyists
- Sykesville Voters Overturn Speed Cameras in Referendum
- Traffic Engineering Techniques Out-perform Speed Cameras
- Transportation Planning Board Unveils Plan to Track and Tax Drivers
