Henrico supervisors approve speed cameras for all high schools, 2 middle schools

Henrico’s Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a proposal Sept. 8 to place speed cameras at 11 county schools by the end of the year.

The LIDAR (light detection and ranging) cameras will be placed within the school zones of all nine high schools and at Tuckahoe and Fairfield middle schools in December. After a 30-day warning period, Henrico Police will begin enforcing the speed cameras early next year.

The cameras will take a photo of any vehicle that travels 10 miles or more over the posted speed limit during school hours (when school zone lights are flashing), capturing the back of the vehicle and license plate.

Once an image is captured by the camera and validated by the vendor, the image will be sent to Henrico Police so that officers can again validate that the violation was during school hours and check the vehicle registration with the Department of Motor Vehicles, said HPD Chief Eric English.

Within 30 days, the driver will be notified of a $100 fine via mail.

The goal is to expand the speed cameras to almost all schools in the county, said English, although some elementary schools located on neighborhood streets without a lot of car traffic may not need them.

Supervisors also said they planned to talk to the Henrico School Board about extending school zone flashing lights to include highly-attended afterschool events such as football games, so that the speed cameras could also be used during high-traffic events.

Brookland District supervisor Dan Schmitt said that although he heard mixed reactions from residents, he unequivocally supports the new cameras and hopes they will prevent future accidents involving schoolchildren and families.

“Slowing people down in school zones should be a priority of ours. I think at the end of the day, the judgment call is erring on the side of protecting people crossing streets in this county, when we have seen tragedies,” he said. “You can never put a patrol car everywhere. The acceptance of technology has got to be a piece of this.”

Fairfield District resident Victoria Crawley, who lives on Azalea Avenue nearby Henrico High School, said that the cameras are a good step forward to limiting speeding but cannot be the only step the county takes.

“I believe that these cameras can be one part of the solution, but I’m asking you tonight to recognize that speed cameras alone are not enough for what is happening on Azalea Avenue specifically,” she said. “I have watched vehicles continue when people are attempting to cross, and I have personally spent time every single day helping students safely get across this road.”

Crawley was in her house and heard the crash when a Henrico woman was struck and killed nearby Henrico High School in 2024. She said without more safeguards such as cameras and crossing guards, another fatality is on the horizon.

“I heard that accident because it was outside of my house. I am still traumatized by what I heard that night,” she said. “Today, when I hear tires screeching because a driver has not stopped in time as pedestrians are attempting to cross, I am reminded of that accident and how quickly another tragedy could happen.”

But Three Chopt District resident Michael Keegan said he has concerns that the speed cameras will increase surveillance over Henrico citizens and that images taken by the cameras could be misused. He also wanted to ensure that the LIDAR speed cameras have no connection to Flock Safety – a controversial company that Henrico has partnered with during the past few years.

“While students may indeed be safer from speeders, inappropriate use of the camera images may put large segments of students and their families in considerable danger,” Keegan said. “Will the cameras be part of the Flock network, either directly or indirectly? Where will the data be stored? Will Henrico County have 100% control of the data at all times?”

The LIDAR speed cameras are not connected to Flock Safety or any of the separate Flock cameras Henrico has placed in the county, said English. The cameras only capture photos of vehicles that are speeding, and those images will be sent only to the camera vendor and Henrico Police. Images are routinely deleted after 21 days if a citation is not issued.

English said the county has identified two possible vendors already, and officers will see for themselves how each vendor handles the cameras and will research other localities using the same vendors before making a choice.

HPD also will publicly release data on how many speeding violations are captured by the cameras each year, English said, and will routinely monitor to see whether the cameras are effectively reducing speeds around their locations.

Liana Hardy is the Citizen’s government and education reporter. Support her work and articles like this one by making a contribution to the Citizen.