Maryland county installs cameras to watch cameras

In one of the most interesting paradoxes of our time, Maryland's Prince George's County is installing security cameras to watch over its traffic and speed-detection cameras after a string of vandalism in the area since April.

Prince George's County Police Maj. Robert Liberati hopes to add a dozen more camera-watching cameras by the end of the year to join the one set up now. Disgruntled residents have done everything from shoot the traffic cams to burn them down, but Liberati hasn't given up. "It costs us $30,000 to $100,000 to replace a [traffic] camera," Liberati says. "That's a significant loss in the program. Plus it also takes a camera off the street that operates and slows people down. So there's a loss of safety for the community."

By law, the existing traffic cameras can't be used to monitor anything other than speed or red-light violations. The Prince George's County Police Department has posted warnings for potential vandals to let them know that they're under surveillance with the new set-up.

[Image credit: Security cameras via Shutterstock]

This article was written by Shawn Schuster and originally appeared on Tecca

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