CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A new lawsuit focuses on the legality of speed camera citations in Chesapeake and Suffolk.
Attorney Tim Anderson filed two lawsuits. He says the issue isn’t with the use of the cameras.
“At the end of the day, this isn’t anti-speed cameras per se, it’s about making sure what the government is supposed to do legally,” he said.
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Included in the lawsuits are allegations that the cities are committing fraud and not following the appropriate procedures.
“Our complaint alleges the City of Chesapeake and the City of Suffolk, which have the same exact models, are bypassing the courts,” Anderson told News 3. “They are allowing these third-party companies that are running these cameras in the cities to bypass the courts. There are no court dates established. The courts don’t even know what’s going on and the money is being paid out of state. That’s not authorized by Virginia law.”
He’s asking the cities to shut down the cameras temporarily and pay back drivers who have paid the fines.
Anderson says 170,000 citations were issued from these cameras in Suffolk in 2023, totaling more than $9 million. In Chesapeake, the number is 70,000 and more than $5 million, according to Anderson.
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He also believes police officers are not going through the tickets as promised.
“Chesapeake does not have the manpower to literally go through 70,000 violations,” he stated. "Suffolk doesn’t have the manpower to do 130,000 violations."
Representatives for the Chesapeake and Suffolk said they cannot comment on pending litigation.
