Revenue or safety? Barrow's school zone speeding cameras face scrutiny amid high profits

The Barrow County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO), Winder Police Department (WPD), Statham Police Department (SPD) and residents who support the cameras insist they are effective at enhancing safety by reducing the risk of accidents involving children and pedestrians.

Moreover, proponents highlight the deterrent effect these automated systems have on speeders. Those who support the cameras also point to the efficiency of the automated systems, which free up law enforcement officers for other tasks.

Meanwhile, critics raise concerns regarding privacy infringement, potential misidentification of vehicles, errors in speed measurement, lack of discretion and the possibility of misuse.

Perhaps the most widespread criticism, however, revolves around suspicions the cameras serve primarily as revenue-generating tools rather than genuine safety measures.

Barrow County began enforcing the automated speed cameras in Aug. 2021. The fine for first-time offenders is $75 and $125 for second and subsequent offenders, and all tickets can be contested in court.

Law enforcement agencies split roughly one-third of the revenues generated by the cameras with Blue Line Solutions. The only other recurring expense of operating these cameras is power supply, which cost an average of about $183 each month for the county.

The school zones the county receives revenue from are Apalachee High School, Bethlehem Elementary (two cameras) Bramlett Elementary, Holsenbeck Elementary, Kennedy Elementary, Westside Middle, Haymon Morris Middle and Barrow Arts and Sciences Academy.

The revenue generated from these school zone speeding cameras has been substantial, surpassing $2.9 million from August 2021 to October 2023, with a monthly average of $118,700.

On the municipal level, Winder installed automated speed cameras in the school zones of Winder Elementary, Russell Middle School and Winder-Barrow High School.

From Sept. 2022 to Jan. 2024, the cameras generated $312,455, averaging about $18,300 a month. For comparison, from Jan. 2020 through July 2022, before the cameras were installed, Winder’s revenues from speeding fines was $63,796, or about $170 per month on average.

EXPENSES

The funds derived from speeding fines have been allocated to various expenses, including a mission robot for $104,000, a SWAT armored vehicle for $149,700, school security upgrades, including security doors for $77,284, and life-saving medical supplies for county schools.

In total, over the last three years, the county has spent over $2.5 million from revenues brought in by speed cameras in school zones. Despite concerns about privacy and misuse, proponents emphasize the tangible benefits yielded by these revenues.

STATISTICS

According to the TrueBlue school zone safety program summary by Blue Line Solutions, each of the school zones monitored by Barrow County experienced at least an 87% reduction in speeding vehicles with the highest reduction reaching 100% and an overall speed reduction among all schools at 92%.

TrueBlue’s data also illustrates the total number of speeding vehicles through a school zone dropped from a combined total of 17,595, according to the pre-program surveys, to a combined total of 1,329 as of the post-enforcement study in Jan. 2022.

The most fines came from speeders in the school zone of Bethlehem Elementary School, which has two cameras including one on McElhannon Road and another on SR 11. Bethlehem Elementary School also had the highest traffic count with 36,253 trips on SR 211 and another 2,327 trips on McElhannon Road. According to the data presented by Blue Line, post-enforcement traffic counts at the SR 11 camera reduced to 24,318, indicating potentially 22% of drivers chose another route to bypass the school zone.

STATE LEGISLATION

This debate extends beyond the county line into many jurisdictions nationwide. On the state level, Georgia lawmakers, who have been hearing complaints about the cameras for years, pushed bills in this year’s legislative session that would have restricted when the cameras can ticket or force police departments to shut them down. One of the bills passed unanimously in the House last year. However, both bills died in the Georgia legislature on Crossover Day last month.