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An AAA spokesman and the New Carrollton police continue to clash on what defines running a red light at a busy city intersection after a District Court judge overturned several tickets March 18.

AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesman John Townsend said the city is violating Federal Highway Safety Administration guidelines after issuing $75 tickets for running a red light to motorists stopped at the intersection of 85th Avenue and Route 450.

Citing the Federal Highway Safety Administration's Red Light Camera Systems Operational Guidelines, Townsend said the second photograph in a two-photograph red light camera system should be taken after a vehicle has entered an intersection so the camera can get a better view of the vehicle, its license plate and the driver's face. Townsend said New Carrollton's program tickets motorists stopped at the red light.

Harry Self of Fort Washington was among about 15 people whose tickets were overturned by District Court Judge Mark T. O'Brien on March 18 at the Prince George's District Court in Hyattsville. Self said he received a $75 ticket in February for allegedly running a red light at 85th Avenue and Route 450.

Self said there were two photos of himself, one showing he stopped before the white stop line and another snapped 21 seconds later that showed his vehicle in the same position.

"There's no way I could've run something if 21 seconds after they took the same picture I'm in the same place," Self said.

Townsend said it is "malfeasance" on the part of New Carrollton's police department to run the program.

"I think one of the reasons it bothers people so much is that it is the people who are sworn to uphold the law are manipulating the law in their favor for whatever means," he said.

New Carrollton Police Chief David G. Rice said it is up to a judge's discretion what tickets should be overturned. Rice said a red light camera was installed July 2008 to deter vehicles from stopping on the crosswalk. He said when vehicles stop on the crosswalk it forces pedestrians trying to cross Route 450 out into traffic.

During the March 16 City Council work session, Rice presented a chart with the average number of red lights run per day from July 2008 through February 2009 at the intersection. The chart showed an average of six vehicles running red lights daily in August, which dropped to one violation a day in January. It rose to an average of two in February.

"This is a safety thing," Rice said. "There's no money in this. It's being effective and it's working."

Rice said the tickets generate $3,900 to $4,000 a month but that money goes toward officer salaries for court time and $1,700 to $2,000 goes to the red light camera vendor, Optotraffic. He said the remainder goes into the city's general fund. Rice did not know the exact amount of money that goes into the fund each month.