Crime & Safety

A Brief History of Speed Camera Vandalism in Maryland

In the latest incident in Montgomery County police say someone blacked-out the window on a speed camera. Such vandalism is nothing new in Maryland.

By Whitney Teal

It happened again. Earlier this month, Someone took an extreme measure to ensure at least one Montgomery County speed camera wouldn’t give out any more tickets. Police said they are searching for someone who sprayed black paint on the window of a camera in the 6900 block of New Hampshire Avenue on Aug. 3.

Speed camera vandalism in Maryland is almost as old as the cameras themselves. The cameras began appearing as a pilot program in Montgomery County in March 2007 before moving to other parts of the state.

A brief history of speed camera vandalism in Maryland:

  • May 2013: Someone spray-painted a speed camera in Perry Hall the first weekend in May, Patch reported. It is the second time since Sept. 2012 that the camera has been vandalized.
  • November 2012: Three portable units were knocked down on 16th Street in downtown Silver Spring, near Georgia Avenue, sometime between Nov. 17 and 18. Rowdy teens were probably the culprits, police said.
  • June 2012: An Ellicott City man was accused of shooting marbles at a speed camera in Howard County with a slingshot. "I had already gotten two tickets from these things," said the man, according to Ellicott City Patch.
  • In April of 2012 someone torched, literally incinerated, a brand new speed camera that was installed on South Rolling Road in Catonsville. The fire caused $13,000 in damages, according to the Catonsville Patch.
  • July 2011: An assailant smashed the window of a speed enforcing vehicle with a hammer on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway near BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport, The Baltimore Sun reported.
  • Not-in-Maryland Bonus: January 2012: Restaurateur "Chef" Geoff Tracy hired a sign spinner to warn drivers of a hidden speed camera in Washington, DC, The Huffington Post reported. He tweeted that he’d gotten three tickets the first week the camera was there. (See a video of the sign spinner on Foxhall Road.)

For even more speed camera vandalism, check out this cleverly titled Facebook group, “Speed Camera Hate.”

Find out what's happening in Columbiawith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.