Greenwich to restart school zone speed cameras
The program was paused in April after an internal review found the town did not properly go through the state's required process
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The Town of Greenwich has gotten the green light to restart its speed camera program, which has been paused since the spring.
"We get frequent complaints about speeders near schools, and we just don't have the sufficient staff to cover it," explained Greenwich Police Department Chief James Heavey.
In the fall of 2025, Greenwich became one of the first places in Connecticut to put speed cameras in some of its school zones. The police department says it led to a 92% drop in speeding violations in those areas.
"It has truly made me think about slowing down more when there are young kids around," admitted Pamela Weldon, who lives in Greenwich.
Other residents, like John Cracraft, take issue with the program, saying "it's annoying and it still seems like a little bit of a money grab."
After an internal review showed the town never held the state-required public hearings on the cameras, they were forced to pause the program in April - something First Selectman Fred Camillo called "an honest mistake."
The town has now had the hearings, re-submitted to the state, and received approval to re-launch the cameras.
"The police department and the town looked at some of the - I don't want to say missteps, but challenges that we had to sort out," Heavey said. "In the end, we probably benefited from the pause, so now we're really going to get the system right."
That being said, Camillo and Heavey tell News 12 the program will look almost exactly the same as it did originally.
However, Heavey does say the police department is looking into making some tweaks to the appeal process, as well as adding more lights and labels about exactly what times the cameras are on to the signs near them.
"It's not clear when that actual school zone is, so some more signage would be beneficial, for sure," Cracraft said.
"After a while, there'll be no tickets, because people will just be used to doing it," Camillo predicted.
Heavey says the hope is to have the cameras back on by the winter.
There will also be both a full public education campaign and a social media blitz, as well as a 30-day warning period before any fines are issued.
