Sweepercam (or is it “Sweeeperscam”?) is back.

“Today, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and Department of Public Works (DPW) Director William O. Howland, Jr. kicked off the District’s 2010 street sweeping program,” reads the press release. “For the second year running, street sweeping will include Sweepercam, the District’s one-of-a-kind license plate recognition system.”

If you haven’t heard about this snitching machine, watch out: It takes photos of cars parked where they shouldn’t be during street sweeping hours, then issues tickets via mail.

Though Sweepercam is being rolled out today, it won’t be ticketing until March 29. “Motorists are urged to use the five-day grace period to move their vehicles this week before Sweepercam is implemented. The fine for parking in the curb lane during street cleaning hours is $30.”

But parking in a curb lane during street sweeping isn’t the only way to get a ticket from Sweepercam. The expensive “all-knowing” one-of-a-kind camera sometimes captures the plate numbers of innocents, as one resident can attest. Despite the cameras fouling up at least 500 tickets last year, DPW spokesperson Nancee Lyons says there have been no changes to the program since then.