Sherwood’s new mobile speed cameras did not ease into service quietly. In less than a week on the job, the devices flagged more than 1,000 drivers, according to city officials, all during a warning-only period on Oregon Street that started in late May and runs for about a month before real tickets start landing in mailboxes.
Two mobile speed safety cameras are currently parked at SW Oregon St and SW Lower Roy St, where they are set to tag vehicles going 11 mph or more over the posted 25 mph limit, according to the City of Sherwood. The city says each camera will stay in its assigned location for at least 30 days and is paired with advance warning signs and a speed-display board to give drivers fair notice. The mobile rollout builds on Sherwood’s existing red-light and speed-enforcement camera program at intersections, which has been running since 2010.
Sherwood Police told KGW the portable units snapped images of more than 1,000 drivers within the first week they were active. A May 22 department press release adds that citations will be mailed to the registered owner only after a trained reviewer and a sworn officer both sign off on the potential violation, per the Sherwood Police Department.
Some neighbors are not convinced the extra eyes on the street will actually slow anyone down. "I think the city will make a lot of money but it won't slow anybody down without speed bumps," resident Mary Consani-Kramer told KGW.
City and police leaders insist the cameras are meant as a safety tool, not a cash cow. "The less speeding occurs, the less revenue the program generates," the department wrote in its statement. Local TV coverage has also noted that the program is expected to be paid for through citation revenue rather than local tax dollars; KPTV reported on the funding plan.
How the cameras work and what fines look like
The devices are programmed to trigger only when a vehicle is clocked at 11 mph or more above the posted speed limit. Every potential violation then goes through a human review, followed by a signoff from a sworn police officer, before a notice is mailed out. Fines follow Oregon state law: a Class C violation (11 to 20 mph over) is $165, a Class B (21 to 30 mph over) is $265 and a Class A (31 mph or more over) is $440, with steeper penalties when the infraction happens in a school zone. According to the Sherwood Police Department, $66 from each citation is routed to the State of Oregon and Washington County, while the remainder covers the program’s costs and funds local traffic-safety efforts.
What’s next
Officials say the mobile units will eventually rotate to other residential streets and school zones, using crash data and community complaints to decide where they go next. The city plans to publicly announce location changes so drivers are not left guessing. Sherwood’s move fits into a broader regional trend: nearby Redmond rolled out a warning period in May for its own school-zone speed camera pilot, part of a wave of Oregon cities testing automated enforcement, as covered by Right Now Oregon.
Drivers who receive a notice can log on to ViolationInfo.com to review a 12-second video clip and still images tied to the citation. Cases are handled through Sherwood Municipal Court. For more details and a full FAQ, residents can check the city’s photo-enforcement page or call Sherwood Municipal Court at 503-625-4225.
