MPDC Adds Two Marked Cruisers to its Fleet of Photo Radar Speeding Enforcement Vehicles   In its continuing efforts to put the brakes on speeding in the District of Columbia, the Metropolitan Police Department has added two new vehicles to its photo radar fleet: marked police cruisers that are equipped with digital camera technology. The two new marked vehicles are in addition to eight unmarked photo radar vehicles used by the MPDC for enforcement of aggressive speeding. The vehicles are deployed, Monday through Saturday, in designated enforcement zones across the District. The units are operated by specially trained, radar-certified Metropolitan Police officers working in an overtime capacity. The Department also has five stationary photo radar speeding reduction cameras located in Northeast and Northwest DC. The new marked vehicles are equipped with digital cameras, as opposed to the traditional 35-mm film used in the unmarked vehicles. The digital technology is designed to be less costly and more efficient than the 35-mm cameras. Four of the five stationary cameras also use digital technology. “We have said all along that our Department would use a variety of approaches – mobile and stationary cameras, marked and unmarked vehicles – to change the aggressive driving behavior of some motorists on our roadways,” said Chief of Police Charles H. Ramsey. “With the addition of these marked vehicles, we are reinforcing a very simple, straightforward message: if you don’t want a speeding ticket in the District of Columbia, slow down and obey the posted limit.” Launched in the summer of 2001, the MPDC’s photo radar program has helped to dramatically curtail aggressive speeding. For example, the percentage of motorists speeding aggressively (that is, above the threshold speed that triggers a citation) has declined from nearly 1 in 3 motorists at the start of the program to only 1 in 30 motorists in recent months. More information about the photo radar speeding reduction program, including the locations of the enforcement zones, is available on the Police Department’s website.