Henrico to place speed cameras at certain schools by 2027
By the end of 2026, Henrico Police will have installed speed cameras at every high school and two middle schools in the county in an effort to increase pedestrian safety in school zones.
After a 30-day “warning period” – during which drivers will only receive a mailed warning notice about violating the speed limit – HPD will begin official enforcement with the cameras in early 2027. Officials have not decided on a fee, but Virginia law allows tickets to be up to $100 per violation.
New LIDAR (light detection and ranging) speed cameras will be placed within the school zones of all nine county high schools and at Tuckahoe and Fairfield middle schools, with the number of cameras varying at each site. Drivers can only be ticketed during school hours, with violations occurring when a driver goes 10 miles per hour over the speed limit.
Speeding is a major concern in Henrico, county officials said. The county has witnessed a number of incidents in recent years involving children being hit by cars while walking or biking near schools, with some leading to fatalities.
“The county has and continues to fight for better pedestrian safety. We’ve been talking about this for years with the WOAH! [Watch Out Ahead Henrico] program and the tragic accidents we’ve seen,” said Brookland District Supervisor Dan Schmitt. “Everybody is talking about slowing cars down, I hear it every single day.”
Even during the 30-day warning period, HPD expects vehicle speeds to drop by 60% to 70% near the schools where cameras are placed, said Police Captain Matt Pecka.
While introducing the new program at a Henrico Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, Pecka emphasized that HPD will not enforce any quotas regarding the speed cameras, and while violations will result in fees, they will not show up on drivers’ transcripts.
HPD also will not use any Flock cameras as a part of implementation and will not share the image data collected – the make, model, and license plate of the vehicle – outside of the department.
An outside vendor will place the new speed cameras, which will come at no out-of-pocket cost to the county. Henrico County will receive 85% of the fees (the vendor will receive 15%) and the county is legally required to use the money for pedestrian improvement projects.
Pecka said that HPD will likely expand the cameras to other schools later in 2027 following the first phase of implementation. Due to new state legislation that went into effect July 1, the county will not be able to place speed cameras at non-school sites such as parks, pools, or recreation centers.
Three Chopt District supervisor Misty Roundtree said that although speeding is a major concern, the county should try to balance safety efforts with protecting citizens’ privacy and due process. She also encouraged the county to implement a lower fee than the $100 maximum.
“The $100, and I may be alone in this, that feels a little high to me because that is a whole bill for a lot of folks,” she said. “And certainly we want it to be effective, but we also don’t want it to have a snowball effect for folks.”
Residents will receive violation notices by mail but will have the option to pay tickets online. The county also will allow residents to appeal tickets.
HPD still will have officers located near schools to enforce speed limits, with Pecka saying that the speed cameras will be used as “supplements” but not replacements to traditional policing. The county also is working on a number of pedestrian improvement projects on major roads near elementary schools and several high schools.
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.
