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The District Heights City Commission passed an ordinance Nov. 24 to establish a speed camera enforcement program and a resolution to establish school zones for speed camera monitoring.

Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) signed a bill in May authorizing the use of speed cameras in school and construction zones throughout Maryland. A school zone is any location within one half-mile of a school, and drivers who go 12 mph or more above a posted speed limit may face a $40 fine if captured on camera.

The school zone for District Heights Elementary is County Road between Walker Mill Road and Marlboro Pike and any roads located within a half-mile of the school as selected by Police Chief Michael March. The school zone for Francis Scott Key Elementary is the portion of Silver Hill Road within incorporated District Heights, according to the resolution.

The goal is to have at least two cameras, one fixed and one mobile, Lt. Wayne Simms said. A fixed camera may be suggested for Silver Hill Road and a mobile for either County Road or District Heights Parkway, he said.

The city has not selected a speed camera vendor yet, and police hope to present vendors before the city commission in January, Simms said. He does not know an exact date for when a program could begin.

There is a mandatory 30-day warning period before real citations are issued, Simms said. The warning period will give the city a chance to decide whether additional staffing is needed to maintain a speed camera program. If more staffing is necessary, city police may look into hiring someone to work in both code enforcement and to observe camera film, Simms said.

The New Carrollton Police Department began its speed camera warning period Oct. 1 and their citation period Nov. 1.

District Heights resident Ronald Waters, 53, said Nov. 24 that traffic goes too fast through the city, and drivers go as fast as 50 and 60 mph.

"Outside of the safety of kids going to school, it's just not safe, period," Waters said.

E-mail Natalie McGill at nmcgill@gazette.net.