REPORTER ADAM TUSS TEAMS UP WITH
THE NEWS4 I-TEAM.
>> Reporter: COME VISIT THIS
STRETCH OF BLAGDEN AVENUE IN NORTHWEST D.C., AND THE
COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS STOP SIGN
CAMERA HERE ROLL JUST AS MUCH AS
THE TRAFFIC DOES.
BUT YOU FEEL COMPLETELY LIKE YOU
MADE A STOP?
>> OH, 100%.
I ALWAYS MAKE A STOP.
>> Reporter: DRIVERS STOPPING US
IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR STORY TO
CHAT ABOUT THE ISSUE.
>> AND HAD TO APPEAL IT ALL THE
WAY TO THE TOP AND WON.
>> Reporter: RESIDENTS ON THE STREET WITH THEIR OWN TRAFFIC
TALES.
NOW WE’VE DOCUMENTED THE CHORUS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT STOP SIGN
CAMERAS, NOT JUST HERE ALONG
BLAGDEN AVENUE, BUT AT MULTIPLE
LOCATIONS ACROSS THE CITY.
>> I RECEIVED TWO TICKETS ON THE
SAME DAY.
>> Reporter: NOW NO ONE WE
TALKED TO SAY DRIVERS SHOULD
EVER BE ALLOWED TO ROLL THROUGH
A STOP SIGN.
BUT LILLY ROWNY, WHO RECENTLY RECEIVED THREE STOP SIGN TICKETS
HERE THINKS SOMETHING IS OFF.
>> IT’S FINE WHEN IT’S ACTUALLY
CATCHING PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT FOLLOWING THE LAW.
BUT IF THEY’RE STOPPING, YOU
KNOW, THEY SHOULDN’T GOOD
GETTING TICKETS.
>> Reporter: RIGHT NOW THE CITY
HAS EIGHT STOP SIGN CAMERAS
AROUND THE DISTRICT, AND ALL
TOGETHER THE I-TEAM FOUND THE
CAMERAS HAVE ALREADY ISSUED MORE
THAN 120,000 CITATIONS THROUGH EARLY SEPTEMBER OF THIS YEAR.
THAT TOTALS AT LEAST $12
MILLION, NOT COUNTING FINES THAT
MIGHT INCREASE.
IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR STOP SIGN
CAM CAMERA WITH THE MOST
CITATIONS IN THE CITY, LOOK NO FARTHER THAN RIGHT HERE, 27th
AND R STREETS IN SOUTHEAST D.C.
SO FAR THIS YEAR, OVER 32,000 CITATIONS.
>> IS THIS ONE OF THE THINGS YOU
HEAR MOST ABOUT FROM PEOPLE IN
YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD?
>> I WOULD SAY YES. AS COMMISSIONER, IT’S BEEN ONE
OF THE BIGGEST ISSUES WE’VE
DEALT WITH. >> Reporter: JONATHAN NOBLE IS
THE VICE CHAIR.
HIS DISTRICT INCLUDES A CAMERA
THAT ITSELF HAS GENERATED OVER
11,000 TICKETS.
>> I DON’T THINK STOP SIGN
CAMERAS ARE WISE POLICY.
CANDIDLY.
OR IF WE’RE GOING TO DO THAT,
THEN WE SHOULD APPLY THEM EVENLY
ACROSS THE CITY, AND THERE
SHOULD BE MUCH MORE TRANSPARENCY ABOUT WHY THESE LOCATIONS WERE
SELECTED.
>> Reporter: FOUR OF THE CAMERAS
ARE RIGHT HERE IN WARD 4. D DOT SAYS THEY PICK LOCATIONS
BASED ON TRAFFIC SAFETY
ASSESSMENTS.
ALL SYSTEMS ARE CALIBRATED AND
TESTED BY A THIRD PARTY ORGANIZATION FOR ACCURACY
YEARLY.
THE EQUIPMENT IS REVIEWED DAILY
FOR PERFORMANCE, WHICH INCLUDES REVIEWING IMAGES FOR CLARITY AS
WELL AS REVIEWING VIDEO THAT
CONFIRMS THAT THE VEHICLE DID NOT COME TO A COMPLETE STOP.
>> I’VE TRIED TO FIGHT FOR THOSE
TICKETS, AND THEY’VE JUST SAID,
WELL, YOU DIDN’T STOP.
>> Reporter: DRIVERS ARE ABLE TO
REVIEW THE IMAGES AND VIDEO
ATTACHED TO THE CITATION ON A PUBLIC WEBSITE, ACCORDING TO D
DOT.
AUTOMATED ENFORCEMENT HAS TO
HAVE PEOPLE’S CONFIDENCE THAT IT WORKS, THAT IT IS ABOUT SAFETY,
NOT JUST TRYING TO GET REVENUE.
>> Reporter: CHARLES ALLEN SITS
ON THE TRANSPORTATION AND
ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE.
HE SAYS THE SHEER NUMBER OF
TICKETS POINT TO THE FACT THAT
SOME DRIVERS CLEARLY AREN’T
STOPPING COMPLETELY, BUT HE
WOULD WELCOME A REVIEW BY D DOT.
>> WHEN THEY SEE THAT A SPEED
CAMERA, OR A STOP SIGN IS JUST WRITING TICKET AFTER TICKET
AFTER TICKET AFTER TICKET, THAT
SHOULD BE A SIGN TO D DOT THERE
IS SOMETHING WRONG. IT’S EITHER DESIGNED WRONG, NOT
BEING IMPLEMENTED CORRECTLY.
>> Reporter: WHILE LILLY SAYS
THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE EDUCATION
ABOUT WHAT EXACTLY THESE STOP
SIGN CAMERAS REQUIRE TO AVOID A
TICKET.
REGULATIONS SAY YOU HAVE TO MAKE
A COMPLETE STOP BEFORE THAT
WHITE LINE OR CROSSWALK.
IF THERE IS NO LINE YOU, HAVE TO
STOP BEFORE THE POST-IT SIGN.
>> THIS CAMERA RIGHT HERE ALONE THIS YEAR, 27,000.
>> I’M THREE OF THOSE.
AND MY COWORKERS ARE ALSO PART
OF THOSE AS WELL.
>> Reporter: FOR NOW, LILLY AVOIDS THIS STRETCH OF ROAD
DURING HER COMMUTE.
WITH THE NEWS4 I-TEAM, ADAM
TUSS, NEWS4.
>> NOW D DOT SAYS JUST BECAUSE
YOU SEE THOSE CAMERAS FLASH
DOESN’T MEAN A CITATION IS
ISSUED.
>> THE SOFTWARE IS ACTIVATED IF
THE VEHICLE APPROACHING IS AT A SPEED THAT MIGHT PREVENT IT FROM
STOPPING, ACCORDING TO THE CITY. BUT IT SAYS THE VIDEO IS VETTED
BY THREE LEGAL EXAMINERS.