Vandals damage nearly one dozen District speed cameras

WASHINGTON, DC - JAN 27: Speed camera in the median on the 5700 block of MacArthur Blvd. in NW Washington, D.C. The district says that it's losing money from speed and red light cameras because they sometimes fail to operate in bad weather. (Photo by Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post (Michael S. Williamson)

D.C. police are searching for a vandal or vandals who broke 11 speed cameras in various parts of the District, most in Northeast Washington, according to the department.

Police said the discoveries were made between 2:30 and 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

At one location along Kenilworth Avenue, near the Anacostia Freeway, a police report says an officer saw two cameras “that had been pushed over and the camera had been ripped off the wiring and from where it was mounted.”

The report says one of the cameras was stationed near the freeway and that “the wiring was ripped completely out and no camera was located.”

Police said in a statement that at least one person is being sought in the offenses, classified as destruction of property. “Investigators have since determined the damage was due to vandalism,” the statement says. A total damage estimate had not been completed on Tuesday.

The location of the damaged cameras are all in the 5th and 6th police districts, and including along DC. 295 near Eastern Avenue, Ridge Road in Southeast; Pennsylvania Avenue in Southeast; Fort Lincoln Drive in Northeast; Kenilworth Avenue in Northeast; and South Dakota Avenue in Northeast.

Speed cameras are located at or planned for more than 300 locations in the District. The District also has separate cameras to monitor red lights at many intersections.