FOP: Officers shouldn’t pay camera fines

County Council member calls stance an ‘embarrassment’

The speed cameras recorded county police officers speeding 224 times in the last eight months of 2007, police spokesman Lt. Paul Starks said. The police dismissed 76 citations because officers were responding to calls or had other valid reasons for speeding, such as catching up to other vehicles. Their stories were confirmed by examinations of dispatch records and traffic citation books.

However, in the 148 other cases, many officers have not paid the fines while some cases remain under investigation, Starks said. Some officers have paid their speeding tickets, he said.

In some cases, police officers have made rude gestures as the cameras recorded them speeding past.

‘‘This fight isn’t over yet,” Starks said. ‘‘Chief [J. Thomas] Manger is working on efforts to hold people accountable for their actions.”

Some internal affairs investigations have begun because of the speeding, Starks said.

The union representing the police officers, the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 35, has advised officers to not pay the $40 speeding tickets. Montgomery County put up the speed cameras in 2007 as part of a state pilot program. Motorists caught traveling more than 10 mph over the speed limit trigger a camera that photographs the vehicle, and citations are automatically sent to the vehicle’s owner.

‘‘Unit members should not pay or set court dates for speed camera citations issued to the employer,” a statement on the union’s Web site says. ‘‘This applies to tickets received while driving a county owned vehicle.”

Officer Mark Zifcak, the union president, did not return calls for comment.

The union claims that paying of fines should be negotiated under the contract.

Andrews disagreed.

‘‘Being held accountable for inappropriate behavior is not a working condition that needs to be bargained,” he said.

Manger wants to hold the officers accountable but is being blocked by the union, Andrews said.

Manger was in meetings and unavailable for comment.

‘‘I was appalled,” said Assistant Chief Betsy L. Davis of the speeding officers.

When the red light cameras were installed, a few officers received citations, but they paid the tickets and the union did not fight it, she said.

Andrews said the scofflaw officers represent a minority.

‘‘MCPD is a fine department with many fine officers and led by an excellent chief, but the actions of a few can tarnish the whole department. [Manger] is facing a lot of unreasonable objections to improve accountability of the department,” he said.

Andrews said the speed camera citations are part of a pattern shown by the FOP to block accountability. The FOP blocked installing cameras inside cruisers, saying that had to be negotiated, Andrews said.

‘‘I’m very pro-labor, but they should pay the fines,” said Councilwoman Duchy Trachtenberg (D-At large) of North Bethesda.

The speed cameras were put in to make the streets safer for motorists, and officers unnecessarily speeding undermines that effort, said Council President Michael J. Knapp (D-Dist. 2) of Germantown said.

‘‘There’s no part of government above the law,” Knapp said.