What started as a 115-ticket mistake tied to a school zone speed camera in Alexandria, Va., has grown into 834 improper citations — a blow to public trust in enforcement meant to keep students safe.
Here's what to know
After repeated follow-up from the 7News I-Team, the Alexandria Police Department said the eastbound Seminary Road school zone camera issued 834 improper $100 citations between Aug. 18, 2025, and Feb. 26, 2026. That figure includes the 115 tickets police had initially acknowledged.
According to 7News, the issue results from a conflict between the posted schedule and the camera's settings. Drivers were told by a sign near the Seminary Road camera that enforcement began at 8 a.m., but the device had been programmed to start issuing citations at 7:30 a.m. — 30 minutes before enforcement was legally authorized.
The issue drew broader attention after 17-year-old Hewen Dalton contacted the I-Team. He also said the school zone lights were not flashing when he was cited.
"My first ticket, I don't remember; I paid it. The second one, my mom got super mad at me. She almost grounded me, and I paid that one too," Dalton told 7News.
More background
Police said 227 unpaid citations have been dismissed, and 592 drivers have been refunded. Of those refunds, 59 are being issued by check and are still being manually processed.
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Police told 7News that some refunds could not be completed automatically because the original payment methods are no longer active. As a result, the situation has still not been fully resolved for every driver affected by the Seminary Road error.
It was not a case of drivers ignoring a clearly active school zone. The city system issued fines outside its own authorized hours, resulting in more than $83,000 in wrongful penalties.
Alexandria police broadened their review only after the 7News I-Team kept pressing for more details, including how many drivers had actually been reimbursed. That expanded review found hundreds more citations issued between 7:30 a.m. and 7:59 a.m.
What's being done?
Alexandria police said they changed their procedures to help ensure the same mistake does not happen again. The department has added a separate verification step, written confirmation of schedule changes, and recurring audits of camera settings.
Police also said that a review of the city's other 11 school zone speed cameras found those units were operating correctly.
APD said motorists who believe they may be part of the group with no longer-active original payment methods should contact Sgt. Reeve at (703) 746-6652 for assistance. Anyone who believes the eastbound Seminary Road camera cited them in error during the affected period and still has the citation notice should also contact Sgt. Reeve.
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