Writer: Jessica Szilagyi
Published April 4, 2022
The Georgia Virtue
Speed cameras in school zones within the city limits of Soperton in southeast Georgia’s Treutlen County are raking in the cash for the town of ~2,990 residents.
Documents provided to TheGeorgiaVirtue.com through an Open Records Request reflect a sizable contribution to the city’s bank accounts in short periods of time thanks to the unmanned cameras. The city partnered with the private entity RedSpeed Georgia LLC in 2020 and renewed the state authorization for running an unmanned radar system in the school zones in April 2021.
TheGeorgiaVirtue.com filed an Open Records Request detailing camera revenues for the previous six-month period.
From September 1, 2021 to February 28, 2022, motorists paid a total of $142,728 in fines to RedSpeed Georgia, LLC. The agreement between the City of Soperton and RedSpeed Georgia, LLC allocates a 33% service fee to RedSpeed with Soperton retaining 67%. For the first offense, the penalty is $75.00. For the second and any subsequent offense, the penalty is $125.00.
6,069 violations were paid to RedSpeed in the same period and another 1,081 were dismissed. The city also reported 1,579 warnings, though there was no definition of what a warning entails. Eight affidavits were presented and there was one court hearing. The police department reported two police reviews of violations. Among the top recipients of violations was FedEx, paying 13 violations in the time frame.
Collecting $142,728 in six months means the city received $94,200 and RedSpeed received $48,528.
In Soperton, the cameras run from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.Monday through Friday, following the standard that they begin one hour before school begins and end one hour after school classes end.
Cities in Georgia are required to submit budgetary information and financial audit data to the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at UGA and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs in order to be eligible for grants. The City of Soperton most recent document on file dates back to FY 2012. At that time, the city reported $1,049,482 in General Fund Revenues, $30,000 of which stemmed from ‘fines’ brought in from the police department, and $385,616 in police department expenditures. The official city website does not offer any additional information on government operations.
The cameras may only be used in a school zone. There is no investment by the city or county, as the company installs the equipment.
Drivers who exceed the speed limit are captured on camera. Unlike red light cameras, which depict a picture of the driver, speed zone cameras snap a photo of only the license tag with a remotely operated device, which uploads to the private company’s database. A certified peace officer approves the violations based on the license plate capture and the private company issues a violation notice. Payment is collected and the city receives a check (usually 55-70%) and the private company keeps the rest.
Rules for violation times vary by jurisdiction. Some cities will issue violations all 24/7/365 while others limit the enforcement to school hours during school months.
The entire process is authorized under OCGA 40-14-18, which was approved via HB 978 in 2017. The law took effect on July 1, 2018.
