Police install security cameras to watch other cameras

Many people find speed cameras frustrating, and some in Palmer Park, Maryland, are taking their rage out on the cameras themselves. But now , there's a new solution: cameras to watch the cameras. One is already in place, and Prince George's County Police Maj. Robert V. Liberati hopes to have up to a dozen more before the end of the year.

"It's not worth going to jail over a $40 ticket or an arson or destruction of property charge," says Liberati. Liberati is the Commander of the Automated Enforcement Section, which covers speed and red-light cameras. Since April, six people have damaged speed cameras.



"It costs us $30,000 to $100,000 to replace a camera. That's a significant loss in the program. Plus it also takes a camera off the street that operates and slows people down. So there's a loss of safety for the community," says Liberati. The Prince George's County Police Department decided it needed to catch the vandals, or at least deter them.

Speed cameras themselves can't be used for security because under Maryland law speed cameras can only take pictures of speeding, says Liberati. "We've taken the additional step of marking our cameras to let people know that there is surveillance." Liberati says the cameras aren't a case of Big Brother nor a cash grab, police are simply trying to keep the public safe from reckless drivers.