Editor, The Smithfield Times:

I read recently a piece in the Daily Press that Chesapeake and Suffolk were facing lawsuits over the use of speed cameras. I like to refer to these things as “machines that write summons to another machine with a request to send $100 or challenge the summons at the courthouse.”

Since I first heard of these things, I have been wanting to go to some court somewhere and challenge the constitutionality of these things. I am glad to learn that former state Del. Tim Anderson in Chesapeake has taken on the responsibility of challenging the legality of these machines issuing summons to another machine (a camera on a pole to a car) with no knowledge of who the driver might be. 

These very expensive machines are mounted on poles all over Chesapeake, Suffolk and surrounding municipalities to record any car moving 10 mph over the speed limit. The machines send the message to someone far removed from this area (probably Las Vegas or California) who has another machine that sends the “lawbreaker car” (machine) a summons.  

I overheard a soon-to-be-retired state trooper talking about these things recently. His exact remark was, “These things are big-time money makers.” I agree. They issued 319,000 summonses over a short period only in Chesapeake and Suffolk to the tune of $21 million. Some of those funds were mine and I want my money back. They already have the address for my car, so just mail it to that address. 

Can you imagine mounting these machines on poles about five miles apart all over all the highways in our beautiful commonwealth and nation. Even Biden couldn’t spend all the funds as fast as they come in. 

 

Frank Hall

Smithfield