Bowie police introduce new stop sign cameras

BOWIE, Md. ( DC News Now ) — Police in Bowie have a new tool to crack down on stop sign violators — new cameras.

“It’s 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:

• Kenhill Drive at Belair Drive
• Belair Drive at Stonybrook Drive
• Mt Oak Road at Ann Arbor Lane
• Fred Robinson Way and Evergreen Parkway
• Pointer Ridge Drive and Parkington Lane
• Pin Oak Parkway and Peachtree Lane

California-based company ObviO Incorporated developed the cameras. They said that this technology can do more than just catch those who run stop signs.

CEO Dhruv Maheshwari said that the cameras can also catch if “someone’s speeding, if someone is doing an illegal left turn, if someone is potentially using a cell phone while they drive.”

Police will study the results and find out how much of a problem running stop signs really is

“We want to get numbers, times of day, so forth and so on, so that we can figure out what the best method [is] if we go this route of deploying… this technology,” Liberati said.

The new camera program has its supporters.

“The safety of the community is, what’s important,” said Tiwa Okegbonro, who often runs through the neighborhood. “So any violators that come into, you know, violation of that, then if there’s a fine that comes with it is a consequence that comes with it, and that’s what it is, so be it.”

The good news for violators? There are no fines — yet. That would change if the cameras become permanent fixtures, as Bowie Police look to make their roads safer.

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