Alexandria Is Refunding $330K in Speeding Tickets and Court Costs

"We recognize the burden placed on those affected, and we have taken significant proactive steps to restore public confidence and prevent future errors," the city manager said

If you got a speeding ticket in Alexandria in the past three years, you may be eligible for a refund.

The City of Alexandria is voiding more than 2,100 speeding tickets after finding that some police speedometers were not sufficiently tested, the city said Wednesday.

About one in 10 speeding tickets issued between March 2016 and May 2019 has been voided, following an investigation. The city may have to refund as much as $330,599, which is the cost of all of the tickets plus court costs, city spokesman Craig Fifer said.

The average fine for drivers was $100, plus $75 in court costs. A total of 2,169 tickets were voided, out of 19,658 issued within the three-year period. 

Alexandria conducted an investigation after a city supervisor noticed that speedometer tests on five police vehicles were not done properly. An audit found that some calibrations "were performed in a suspiciously short time period," and some varied more than 3 mph.

"Some vehicles had not been tested frequently enough, and some service technicians applied inconsistent test standards," a statement from the city said.

The police officers who issued the tickets were not aware that some speedometers had not been properly tested, an internal auditor found.

In addition to refunding the ticket costs and court costs, Alexandria asked the state Department of Motor Vehicles to remove points that drivers had added to their licenses.

City manager Mark Jinks apologized.

"We recognize the burden placed on those affected, and we have taken significant proactive steps to restore public confidence and prevent future errors," he said in the city's statement. "Our community and our police officers should be able to expect that speeding tickets are based on properly tested equipment, and we sincerely regret that the City did not meet that expectation in certain cases."

Alexandria is taking measures to avoid this problem in the future, the city's statement said. They are improving testing procedures, staff training and communication between city departments. Additionally, a copy of a speedometer's test record will be kept in every police cruiser.

If your ticket was voided, you will receive a notice in the mail. Then, you must request a refund by March 15, 2020.

For more information, go to Alexandria's website

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