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Drivers & AAA Say Speed Cameras In College Park Are Inaccurate

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (WJZ)—Residents in College Park say they're being ripped off by the city and its speed cameras.

Monique Griego was there as angry drivers and AAA called for the cameras to be taken out.

These cameras can cost you.

"These cameras steal from the public. They falsely accuse people of speeding," said Will Foreman.

Foreman and several other drivers claim speed cameras in College Park don't work properly. On Wednesday, they joined AAA in a call to have them removed.

"The whole process of the program is to intimidate people to pay that $40," said Richard Landieu, of College Park.

Foreman says drivers at his local auto supply store have been ticketed 60 times since the cameras went up last October.  He used the pictures sent in the citation to calculate their speed.

"The camera doesn't lie. They weren't speeding," Foreman said.

AAA says College Park speed cameras have given out more than 100,000 tickets. At $40 a pop, they say the city's taken in around $2.4 million in revenue.

"When you strip it all away, it's clear that this camera is all about making money," said Lon Anderson, AAA.

AAA also claims the camera on Metzerott Road isn't located properly according to the speed limits and other zoning guidelines.

But not everyone wants these cameras pulled from the road.

"Oh my gosh! People were constantly speeding. You didn't see it calm like this," said Mary King, of College Park.

The city of College Park denies the cameras are inaccurate, saying in a statement that before any ticket is approved, a Prince George's County police officer verifies the daily camera self calibration to ensure the system parameters are functioning properly.

Still, drivers like Foreman feel drivers need a better way to fight the citation.

"In this system, you're guilty until proven innocent," he said.

Foreman has fought several of his tickets and won. He's developed this Facebook page to show other drivers how to calculate their speed.

College Park says speed cameras have cut speeding in the city by 83 percent.

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