Submitted by Andrew Melillo
House Bill 5917, “An Act Implementing the Recommendations of the Vision Zero Council,” is the Public Act No. 23-116 that brought Greenwich the speeding cameras on Putnam Hill and elsewhere about town.
The amended State House bill was passed 104 in favor with 46 against; with one member absent and not voting. Greenwich State Representative Hector Arzeno voted in favor of the bill. Representatives Khanna and Meskers voted against the bill. The State Senate passed the bill with 27 in favor and 9 against. State Senator Ryan Fazio also rejected the bill. These are the voting facts relative to the Greenwich Delegation at the time of the legislative event.
In January 2026, the Greenwich Police Department issued 7,225 violations. The average ticket amount was $50. This equates to a monthly revenue of $361,250. If each month produces the same results, then each year some 86,700 infractions will have been issued, with a total revenue of $4,335,000. This is roughly 25,000 more violations to be issued than there are physical people of any age in the entire Town of Greenwich. This could be interpreted as tyrannically excessive.
The cameras are operated by Blue Line Solutions, a Tennessee vendor who installed the cameras and operates them on a daily basis. From each violation paid, Blue Line Solutions receives roughly 36% of that revenue and the Town of Greenwich collects the remaining balance.
With the State Statute passed the General Assembly and signed by the Governor, a camera ordinance had to be introduced on the local level. This was done by the Police Chief.
The meetings of the Board of Selectmen to which this item was introduced and discussed had little to no public participation. This could be interpreted as irresponsible of the public. It appears there was a lack of robust solicitation by the Town Government to promote and bring awareness of the ordinance to the greatest number of individuals in town to promote a public discussion. This could be interpreted as avoiding the public answer to the ordinance change: “No.”
Yet, to ensure that the scales are balanced with just weights and measures, the Town residents, when surveyed about issues that greatly concern them, the number one issue is always: speeding. With the installation of the cameras in full effect, the townsfolk are on the brink of revolt. Speeding is a major concern. That is, the speeding of others. It must be stated that these machines lack any bias and mechanically record the event. It then determines whether that action adheres to the law. Is the motor vehicle traveling too fast? If yes, issue violation.
Query: Is it possible that every driver in Greenwich needs to self-reflect and determine their culpability in the town-wide problem of speeding? What is more, is it fair to issue an oppressive number of violations that otherwise surpass the total population of Greenwich, both driving and non-driving persons, by more than the total number of residents in Greenwich plus the entire population of the Town of Darien or New Canaan?
To the speeders of Greenwich, you are not in bad company. In 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant was racing his horse-drawn carriage in Washington D.C. with his fellow chums. As he did so, a Black Civil War Veteran and police officer, William West, stopped the President and his friends and issued them a verbal warning for their speed. Mr. West had informed the President that he was setting a poor example for the other gentlemen in town. The next day, Mr. West caught President Grant at it again and this time the President’s face was clearly that of the little boy who had his hand in the cookie jar…Head down and gathering strength, Ulysses S. Grant asked Mr. West, “Do you think, officer, I was violating the speed laws?” Mr. West replied, “I am very sorry, Mr. President, to have to do it, for you are the chief of the nation, and I am nothing but a policeman, but duty is duty, sir, and I will have to place you under arrest.”
Grant had to post $20 ($540 in today’s money). The President failed to show up the next day in court and thus, lost his $20 as payment for the crime. All the other men that were with the President (and who were of high social and government rank) went to court and argued against the actions of Mr. West. Twenty-three women testified against these men (women who did not want to lose another young child to fast drivers) and the judge ordered the six men to pay heavy fines for their fast riding. These men attempted to get Mr. West fired for doing his job and doing it well. Their plans failed. President Grant intervened and sent a messenger to the Chief of Police “complimenting West on his fearlessness in making arrests and making it plain that he would not allow any harm to come to West.” Every time after that when they passed each other the two men would discuss their mutual passion: horses.
Yet this is not the work of a dedicated officer, a human beating-heart doing his duty to earn his pay in order to take care of his family. The issue here are soulless machines that spy and prey upon the roads of the Town and aggregate millions of dollars in financial cost and fines upon the hard working people of Greenwich.