Stafford sheriff seeks county ordinance to allow traffic-signal and speed cameras; public hearing set

Sheriff David Decatur asked the Stafford County Board of Supervisors on May 6 to advertise a county ordinance to allow traffic-signal enforcement cameras and photo speed-monitoring devices in school zones and highway work zones, and the board agreed to schedule a public hearing for June 17 as the earliest feasible date.

Decatur told supervisors the sheriff's office has researched and tested several vendors and camera systems and wants the county to adopt an ordinance required by state law before enforcement can begin. He said the office ran five-day tests at several school locations and recorded large numbers of violations during school times: "on Route 1 ... during a five day period ... we had 18,481 violators," Decatur said, and he gave a second example at Colonial Forge with 11,500 violations.

The board's vote followed questions from supervisors about community perception, transparency and whether the county would treat the program as safety rather than revenue driven. Supervisor Monica Carey asked whether the sheriff would present historical testing data, revenue projections and recommended school locations during the public hearing; Decatur said "Yes, ma'am. We'll provide that." Supervisor Ellen Allen emphasized education and warned against the program being seen as a speed trap.

Why it matters: automated enforcement is a policy change that shifts some traffic enforcement duties from on‑the‑ground deputies to camera systems. Decatur framed the proposal as a safety measure to reduce speed-related crashes near schools when officers cannot cover all school zones in person. Supervisors pressed for details about pilot results, costs, revenue projections, vendor oversight and a community warning period: Decatur said the sheriff's office proposes a 30‑day warning period before citations would issue and maps showing camera locations.

Details and next steps: County staff advised the board that advertising for a public hearing must meet statutory advertising deadlines; the board voted to advertise the ordinance and set the earliest public hearing date the county could meet (June 17). Decatur told the board he tested multiple vendors starting in 02/2024 and that initial data drove the request to proceed to public notice. The sheriff also noted that camera-detected violations must be confirmed by a sworn deputy before any citation is issued.

Public comment and concerns: During the meeting supervisors and commenters raised concerns about public perception that cameras might be used to generate revenue, and asked how revenue would be handled if citations produce net income. Decatur said the program design aims for neutral budgeting and for starting small: "start off smaller, see how it's working out, see how the revenue is supporting the program," he said. Supervisors also asked staff to ensure coordination with VDOT where equipment would be placed on state right-of-way.

What the board did: By vote the board authorized advertisement of a public hearing on the proposed ordinance and asked the sheriff's office to provide detailed testing data, revenue projections, safety assessments, suggested camera locations and an enforcement timeline for the public hearing. The sheriff indicated he will present those materials to the board at the hearing.

What remains unresolved: The ordinance itself has not been adopted; the public hearing is the next formal step. The board did not set policy details such as revenue use or final technology standards; those are expected to be part of the public hearing record and subsequent deliberations.