12 On Your Side Investigates: Unanswered questions surrounding Ga. speed cameras
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - 12 On Your Side Investigates digs deeper into automated speed cameras in Georgia school zones.
While we’ve been digging, lawmakers have been debating. Two house bills regulating these cameras failed to make it to the governor’s desk, and could be revived during the next legislative session.
We have been working to get answers for families who’ve received a citation from these cameras, and say the speed cameras aren’t always accurate.
According to one Georgia lawmaker, the root issue with these cameras is trickery and deceit.
We wanted to review the citations sent to drivers who received citations from the school zone speed camera in Burke County. We’ve been working to get that information for nearly 10 months. The goal is to get answers for you, to see if you were wrongfully ticketed.
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Through months of tense testimony at the Georgia Statehouse.
“Salesman, that’s what they were. Taxation through citation,” said Gary Long, Butts County Sheriff during Senate testimony.
“It’s clearly policing for profit,” said James Dutton, vice chair of Spalding County Commission, during Senate testimony.
To drivers coming to 12 On Your Side Investigates.
“I was shocked, and I didn’t think it was me until I looked at the other pages, and it did, it had my car, and it had my tag,” said Diane Morris, who received a citation from Burke County.
Two House bills on automated school zone cameras now sit, waiting for lawmakers to revive them.
“This is absolutely black and white, right and wrong. This is wrong,” said Representative Dale Washburn. “It is outrageous.”
Washburn authored House Bill 225, which looked to completely ban the cameras.
“I think we have to continue to put the spotlight on this,” said Washburn.
MORE ON THIS 12 ON YOUR SIDE INVESTIGATION:
12 On Your Side Investigates uncovered that Burke County collected $722,688 from cameras in front of Burke County High School.
The city of Wrens has collected more than $444,379 since 2022.
Across the state, Washburn estimates $200 million has been collected.
The private camera companies like Altumint, which run Burke County’s operation, have collected more than $50 million overall, according to Washburn.
“It is one of the most outrageous things I’ve ever observed for our state law to allow anybody to come in and victimize our citizens this way,” said Washburn.
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For almost 10 months, 12 On Your Side has been asking Altumint for a list of citations mailed to drivers in Burke County.
We believe those citations are public information and, by law, should be handed over.
After months of delays, Altumint wants to charge us $7,000 to redact data from the citations. Again, citations that we believe the law says are public information.
Our request started on July 17, 2024, when 12 On Your Side initially sent our request for citations to Altumint. They never responded.
- Aug. 14, 2024: We followed up.
- Aug. 15, 2024: Altumint tells us the sheriff’s office has the records. The sheriff’s office says they don’t have the records.
- Jan.17, 2025: Our team reached out again to Altumint about citations, after the county and sheriff’s office said they don’t have them. We received no response.
- Jan. 28, 2025: We reached out again to Altumint about our request and got no answer.
- Feb. 3, 2025: Altumint responds, saying the data is owned by the county and they need permission to release the data.
- Feb. 5, 2025: Burke County granted the release of data, but we received no response from Altumint.
- Feb. 14, 2025: 12 On Your Side’s attorneys got involved and made Altumint a request for information
- March 11, 2025: Altumint says they’ll set up a call, and the county tells them what our request is.
- March 18, 2025: Burke County follows up with Altumint on request, with no response.
- March 19, 2025: The county says Altumint promised to provide info but has received nothing yet.
- March 21, 2025: Altumint responds to 12 On Your Side’s request for citations, with charging us $7,000 to redact information that’s commonly accessible on other traffic citations in Burke County and other agencies.
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What does this mean for you, the taxpayer? Cameras will continue to ticket drivers from what lawmakers call a system of trickery, as the lack of transparency continues from these private companies.
“If I don’t ever get another thing done, as long as I’m in the Georgia General Assembly, if I can get these school zone cameras banned in Georgia, I will believe I’ve been successful,” said Washburn.
It’s a two-year session. The bills are still alive, and they will come back next year trying to push this issue.
Georgia’s Department of Transportation says at least 278 of these automated cameras have popped up across the state.
Lawmakers say we can expect that number to grow, as local governments see how much money the cameras can rake in.
Right now, two more are on the way in Thomson and Washington County.
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