CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — As police departments across the country are struggling to employ enough officers, Chesapeake has a new set of eyes for 12 school zones.

“This can be here the whole time where the officer may get pulled away to a different call for service and can only be here for a few minutes versus this is here all the time,” said Officer Marc Lawrence of the Chesapeake traffic enforcement division.

On Monday alone, the Redflex Traffic System device caught on camera 100 speeders — license plates included — outside the new E.W. Chittum Elementary School on Dock Landing Road.

“If an incident is recorded, that you are going over the speed limit, we review that just like a regular citation and we would approve it and send it out and it would only be a warning letter stating that,” he said.

For now, speeders will get a pass, but in 29 days you could get a ticket that will cost you $100. Much like red-light cameras, speeders will receive their tickets in the mail and be directed to pay a civil penalty.

“The normal speed limit on this road at Chittum Elementary School is 35 mph when the flashers are on. For a school zone, it’s 25,” said Lawrence.

Thanks to speeders, city officials say the program will pay for itself. Portable devices are leased but each fixed device costs $37,000.

“We will have 10 fixed cameras and two portable units; we could expand that program as we move forward,” said Lawrence.