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Police present automated enforcement plan: more cameras, new distracted-driving tech and data-driven placement
Summary
Montgomery County police presented an update on automated traffic enforcement covering red-light, speed and distracted-driving pilots, projected camera counts and a plan to add roughly 10 speed cameras per year; staff emphasized data-driven placement and raised interjurisdictional and equity considerations.
Montgomery County police briefed a joint council committee on the county's automated traffic-enforcement program, outlining current deployments, planned expansions and pilot tests for distracted-driving and bus-lane enforcement.
Police Director Chris Tibri and Traffic Operations Director Warren Jensen said the county currently operates 51 red-light cameras and about 110 speed cameras (66 portable, 38 fixed and 6 mobile) and expects to bring roughly 10 additional speed cameras online per year, reaching about 140 speed cameras by 2026. Tibri said the county historically contracts for five additional cameras per year and can seek more when needed.
Officials described fines and enforcement mechanics: red-light citations are $75 (civil), speed-camera citations are $40 (civil, no points); police said they are discussing a graduated fine schedule with state officials and noted that nonpayment and reciprocity across jurisdictions remain unresolved policy matters. "It's a $75 civil fine, there's no points," Tibri said of the red-light fine; he and others said work is ongoing on graduated penalties for higher speeds.
Staff and police described emerging technology pilots for distracted-driving detection and bus-lane enforcement. Tibri described work with vendor Hayden AI and WMATA on bus-lane enforcement pilots and said the county is evaluating systems that blur faces and avoid retaining identifiable passenger images while capturing enforceable evidence. Police said distracted-driving technology can generate blurred imagery showing behavior without clarity of occupants' faces.
Committee members pressed for thresholds, data and equity. Staff said noise-camera decibel triggers are referenced in state law and cross-referenced regulations (cited generally as "between 78 and 82 decibels" depending on posted speed), and police noted that current noise-camera units can monitor about 1.5 travel lanes per device, a deployment limit that affects siting. Councilmembers requested ongoing data on detected violations, high-incident locations (Georgia Avenue at Hewitt cited as a high-speed hotspot) and further engagement on equitable distribution of cameras across the county.
Police also described testing and certification needs: units must be third-party tested and approved for evidentiary use, and vendors vary in whether they provide back-office processing. Tibri said the county must avoid vendor lock-in that would limit upgrades, and that many implementation details—data flows, long-term retention, privacy protections and contract terms—remain to be finalized.
The committee did not take a separate recorded vote on the broader automated-enforcement plan during the session; the presentation was informational and committee members asked staff to continue providing data and updates to the council.
