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Council weighs next steps on school-zone camera program after thousands of citations, asks for more signage and police briefing
Summary
Councilors reviewed data showing 2,274 citations issued through Friday, most during flashing school-hour windows; staff recommended adding signage and bringing police to a future work session. Councilors discussed possible suspension, legislative action at the state level, and limited options for mass pardons.
Sandy Springs council members reviewed data Sept. 16 about automated school-zone enforcement and directed staff to add warning signage and ask police leadership to brief the council at an upcoming work session.
City staff reported that, as of the prior Friday, 2,274 citations had been issued. Of those, 1,736 (76%) were issued during the flashing school-hour windows (approximately 7:20-8:20 a.m. and 3:30-4:30 p.m.), when the posted school speed limit is 25 mph and a citation requires vehicles to be traveling 10 mph over the posted limit. Staff said the remaining 538 citations occurred during hours when the signs were active while school was in session but the flashing lights were not activated; staff said tickets in that interval required vehicles to be traveling at least 45 mph in a 35-mph enforcement interval.
Staff also reported the city had issued 609 warnings before enforcement began (500 during the flashing period and 109 during regular hours) and that the police department conducts a quality-control review of each camera citation to confirm license-plate capture and avoid misidentification. Only 27 camera-issued citations had been challenged in city court as of the meeting.
Council discussion focused on options: adding advance signage to alert drivers the cameras are active (staff said signs can be installed in 2-3 weeks), temporarily suspending the program (the contract with the vendor allows termination with 60 days' notice and is already scheduled to terminate next year), or seeking legislative changes. Staff identified two bills pending at the state level: one would ban automated school-zone cameras statewide; the other would allow cameras to remain but would require all funds collected be used for school-safety programs. Staff noted state law constrains changes to hours of enforcement.
Council asked Police Chief DeSimone to bring Lieutenant Sheffield to a future work session for a more detailed briefing on operations, calibration and enforcement practices. Council members also asked staff to consult the parent-teacher and governance councils at affected schools to solicit direct input before taking further steps.
Fines and process: staff advised that initial fines are structured with a lower first-offense amount and higher subsequent penalties; staff provided figures indicating a $75 initial fine and higher amounts for repeat offenses, per current municipal practice. Councilors discussed the idea of an amnesty for first-time offenders but staff said there is no current charter mechanism for a mass pardon and advised that retroactive relief would require additional legal steps.
Outcome: council asked staff to install additional signage and to bring police staff back for a detailed operational briefing; no program suspension was adopted at the meeting.
