SUFFOLK, Va. — Thousands of drivers in Suffolk were issued warnings through the new speed enforcement cameras.
Some of the cameras have been in place since May 15, and Police Chief Al Chandler assured city council members they are working. But some residents in Suffolk worry just how accurate these cameras are.
The new speeding enforcement cameras have been a hot topic of conversation in Suffolk
"Which is one of the goals of this program. To make people aware of highway safety," Robert Lewis, Public Works Director, told members of Suffolk City Council Wednesday night.
Two work zone cameras are already operational: Route 58 / Holland Road Widening Project and Pruden Boulevard at College and Career Academy Roadway Project.
During their presentation, Lewis and Police Chief Chandler said the work zone cameras are doing what they're supposed to: slow people down.
Between May 15 and June 15, more than 35,636 drivers were given warnings. Over the course of the next month, 12,819 citations were mailed with a $100 fine attached.
That's nearly 40% drop from the warning numbers.
"We can see from the numbers that he just put up that it is working. I am elated that traffic and speed is a major conversation in the city of Suffolk," said Chandler.
But Lindsay Dail said she’s worried the cameras aren’t as accurate as they would like.
"There’s a lot of people saying that there’s a lot of inaccuracy with the cameras and that’s how I felt," she said.
She said she has two family members who received tickets. One admitted he was speeding and will pay the fine, while the other has proof he wasn’t.
"The ticket he got, when we looked at the date and the time, he was clocked in at work," she said. "I verified that."
Chandler and Lewis assured council Suffolk Police Officers are looking through the photos individually to verify and then send out violations, but that is taking a lot of manpower.
"We were quite surprised when we started out. We knew it would be a large number, but I don’t think we anticipated the number being quite as large as it was," said Chandler.
Dail said although she questions the accuracy, she’s all for the cameras already in place and the ones to come.
"I want the families of those who are working out there to be safe too, so I don’t have a negative feeling about them being there, if they’re going to work properly."
The school bus stop-arm cameras will start issuing violations starting September 4.
People speeding through school zones with enforcement cameras will start getting tickets starting August 23 for Nansemond Suffolk Academy School Zones and September 4 for Suffolk Public School Zones.
Nine intersections throughout Suffolk will soon have operational red light enforcement cameras installed:
- Holland Road at West end of Suffolk Bypass
- Harbour View Blvd. at Bridge Road
- College Drive at Bridge Road
- North Main Street at West Constance Road
- Pruden Boulevard at Lake Prince Drive
- Shoulders Hill Road at Bridge Road (After roadway project construction)
- Pruden Blvd. at Lake Prince Drive
- Two additional locations - TBD
There is no set timeline as to when those nine new cameras will be up and running.
Councilman Roger Fawcett said he hopes people understand this isn’t about making money, it’s about protecting everyone.
"People have been calling us and emailing us that think that we’re just making speed traps out here to make funding for the city budget, and that’s the farthest from the truth," he said.
Chief Chandler also emphasized that the images captured by these cameras are for nothing more than enforcing speed limits. The information is not imported into the Suffolk Police Department database and is not kept in the system.
“This is not something we query for criminal investigations,” Chandler said. “This is not used to identify people, or for people who are pedestrians. This is also about not to trick citizens.”
He also assured everyone these cameras don't play favorites.
“You may be in a cluster of vehicles, and it can get more than one vehicle at a time. We are not making any delineation of any one type of vehicle, tractor trailers or be it city vehicles, everyone treated the same," said Chandler.
If you feel you have been wrongly charged, directions to contest your ticket are found on the back of the notice.