New automatic speed cameras now active near Sandy Springs schools
New speed cameras in Sandy Springs
School zone cameras are now active at Sandy Springs' North Springs High School and Riverwood International Charter School.
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. - School zone cameras are now up and running near two campuses in Sandy Springs.
Violators caught by the cameras face hefty fines in the near future, but some Georgia lawmakers want to outlaw the practice.
Sandy Springs school zone cameras
What we know:
Sandy Springs has partnered with camera company RedSpeed to install the devices.
The cameras sit at North Springs High School on Roswell Road and Riverwood International Charter School near Heards Ferry Road and Raider Drive.
They'll be in use an hour before and an hour after school, and anyone who drives 11 miles per hour above the speed limit will be cited.
RELATED: Backlash growing against school zone speed cameras in Georgia
"It's important to note - these violations are civil penalties, not criminal, and they will not add points to your driver's license. All the monies collected will go back into law enforcement initiatives," Sandy Springs Sgt. Leon Millholland said in a video posted to Facebook on Monday.
Currently, drivers will be cited with a warning. On March 27, that'll turn into a $125 fine.
"Signs alerting drivers will be placed alerting drivers of the cameras will be placed before each enforced school zone," Millholland said.
Competing speed camera bills at the Georgia Capitol
What they're saying:
Signage is an issue Georgia lawmakers are hoping to address in this legislative session.
Speed camera advocates believe the devices are important to student safety and have penned a measure to make sure drivers across the state know when they are in a school zone.
The other side:
Other lawmakers are backing a bill for the second year in a row that does away with school zone cameras altogether.
State Rep. Dale Washburn (R-Macon) recently filed a bill that would outlaw the cameras in Georgia, arguing that some Georgia counties are using the fines to fund their budgets.
Georgia representative wants speed cameras gone
Republican Rep. Dale Washburn has introduced a bill that would force cities and counties across the state to shut their speed cameras down. He says more than half of the House of Representatives are co-signing.
"This is about revenue by citation. It is taxation by citation, and it is wrong," Washburn said. "Local governments are raking in huge amounts of money across the state of Georgia, and our citizens are being victimized by it."
What's next:
Attempts to reform how the cameras operate failed at the Capitol last year and Washburn says there will be another fight this year.
His bill is currently being read by the House Committee on Motor Vehicles.
The Source: Information for this story came from reports by FOX 5's Kaitlyn Pratt and I-Team reporter Johnny Edwards. Additional information was provided by the Sandy Springs Police Department.