BOWIE, Maryland (DC News Now) — Bowie police have a new tool to crack down on stop sign violators: new cameras.
“The situation is serious because the citizens, the residents of Bowie have told us they are serious,” said Captain Robert Liberati.
The cameras will be placed at six intersections:
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Kenhill Drive at the corner of Belair Drive
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Belair Drive at the corner of Stonybrook Drive
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Mt Oak Road at Ann Arbor Lane
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Fred Robinson Way and Evergreen Parkway
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Pointer Ridge Drive and Parkington Lane
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Pin Oak Parkway and Peachtree Lane
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The cameras were developed by California-based company ObviO Incorporated. They said this technology can do more than just catch those who ignore stop signs.
CEO Dhruv Maheshwari said the cameras could also detect whether “someone is speeding, whether someone is turning left illegally or whether someone may be using a cell phone while driving.”
The police will investigate the results and find out how big the stop sign violations really are
“We want to get numbers, times of day and so on, so we can figure out what the best method is as we go down this path of deploying this technology,” Liberati said.
The new camera program has its fans.
“The safety of the community is the most important thing,” said Tiwa Okegbonro, who often walks through the area. “So if someone violates that, they will be fined and that’s the way it is, so be it.”
The good news for traffic offenders? There are no fines yet. That would change if the cameras were installed permanently, as the Bowie Police Department wants to make its streets safer.
According to Maheshwari, the city of Morningside is expected to launch its new stop sign camera program in October.
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