The Leesburg Police Department, alongside the City of Leesburg, held a press conference Wednesday morning to address the recent implementation of school zone speed cameras at eight schools across the city. The event provided an opportunity for local officials to answer questions and clarify details about the initiative, which aims to enhance student safety as they travel to and from school.

City Commissioner Alan Reisman opened the press conference by expressing the city’s commitment to student safety.

“On behalf of myself, the entire city commission, and the Leesburg Police Department, we are excited to announce the implementation of school zone cameras at our city of Leesburg schools,” Commissioner Reisman says. “This is a significant step forward in our ongoing commitment to enhancing safety. These cameras will ensure that drivers can prioritize the safety of our children.”

The press conference highlighted the key aspects of the new program, with Sgt. Shannon Walsh, Chief Information Officer for the Leesburg Police Department, providing additional insights.

“The goal of this program is to leverage technology to help us get violators to slow down,” Sgt. Walsh says. She noted that the cameras are now operational in the majority of the city’s school zones, and that there will be a 30-day warning period before fines are issued. After this period, violators will receive a $100 citation.

During the press conference, Sgt. Walsh also addressed the high number of speeding violations that had prompted the need for these cameras.

“We’ve had numerous amounts of violators that have prompted us to bring these cameras into play,” she says. “We really are trying to send a message to slow down.”

Chief of Police Joe Iozzi also took the opportunity to underscore the primary goal of the program.

“Our ultimate goal is voluntary compliance,” he says. “We don’t want anybody’s money. We want people to drive the speed limit and keep the kids safe. That is the bottom line and that’s all that matters.”

The program is entirely violator funded.

The school zone speed cameras are active during the times when children are most likely to be traveling to and from school. Specifically, the cameras are operational before school starts, typically early in the morning when students are arriving at school. They remain active throughout the entire school day to ensure safety, and they continue to monitor traffic after school ends, until about half an hour after dismissal. While the exact times may vary slightly depending on each school’s schedule, the general coverage includes the morning arrival and afternoon dismissal periods.