An automated speed enforcement device in Albuquerque. City officials said the wrong speed limit was programmed into one of the devices, which led to more than 300 speeding tickets being canceled. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal)

 

Copyright © 2022 Albuquerque Journal

 

Hundreds of speeding tickets are being canceled after the wrong speed limit was programmed into one of the city’s Automated Speed Enforcement Devices.

Rebecca Atkins, an Albuquerque Police Department spokeswoman, said Monday that the city learned recently that some drivers were issued citations based on inaccurate speed limit violations. She said that an incorrect speed limit was programmed into one of the city’s devices, though she did not provide the camera’s location.

A total of 378 speeding were tickets issued because of that device. Those tickets have since been voided, Atkins said in an email.

She said NovoaGlobal, the company that produces and installs the devices throughout the city, told police about the mishap. The company shut down the device and sent letters to drivers advising them that they did not have to pay the speeding tickets.

The city pays NovoaGlobal $7,900 per system, per month.

The devices are located throughout the city in places where drivers are prone to speed. Speeders caught through the devices are given a $100 ticket, according to the city’s website.

Based on automated devices, the city of Albuquerque issued 4,560 citations in October, 3,659 in September and 5,823 in August, according to the city’s website.