---
title: "Thieves Steal $80,000 Speed Camera System in Broad Daylight"
description: "The use of speed cameras by police to spot and ticket speeding drivers is not without its critics, but two people in Rhode Island took it to another level this week by unbolting the $80,000 system from the ground and stealing it, WPRI reports."
date: "2018-01-18"
modified: "2018-01-19"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/17785/thieves-steal-80000-speed-camera-system-in-broad-daylight"
categories:
  - "Car Tech"
  - "News"
tags:
  - "Crime"
  - "police"
  - "Rhode Island"
  - "speed cameras"
  - "speeding tickets"
---

# Thieves Steal $80,000 Speed Camera System in Broad Daylight

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/01/dtxfi9uuqaau95d.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

The use of speed cameras by police to spot and ticket speeding drivers is [not without its critics,](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/14601/woman-takes-75-speeding-ticket-all-the-way-to-iowa-supreme-court>) but two people in Rhode Island took it to another level this week by unbolting the $80,000 system from the ground and stealing it, [*WPRI* reports.](<https://wpri.com/2018/01/16/camera-to-catch-speeders-worth-80k-stolen-from-providence-neighborhood/>)

The capital city of Providence installed five [speed cameras](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/13384/chinese-researchers-reportedly-developing-car-facial-recognition-for-speed-cameras>) on various roads in several different neighborhoods last week, acting under new state legislation that allows the use of automated ticketing within a quarter-mile of a school. According to *WPRI,* a company called Conduent Solutions was contracted to install and maintain the cameras, and an employee called police after returning to the Pearce Street location to perform a test run and discovered the unit was missing.

The $80,000 camera was composed of two parts—a top box containing the lenses and speed-detection equipment, and a base that holds a 130-pound lithium battery, according to the police report. It's possible the battery was the motivating factor in this crime, rather than raging against the machine, but we'll have to wait until police catch the suspects to find out.

https://twitter.com/_/status/953753631416778753

Providence detectives managed to get security footage from a location nearby that showed two people arriving in an older Dodge pickup and making off with the camera in middle of the day on Friday, January 12, less than a week after the system was set up. It was reportedly bolted to the ground, which clearly wasn't enough to stop the thieves.

While it might feel cathartic to read about someone striking back at the man, [*WJAR* spoke to several neighbors](<https://turnto10.com/news/local/police-searching-for-suspects-in-80k-speed-camera-theft>) along the road who were dismayed to see the speed camera go. One told the station that he noticed it go missing last week, but figured that police had moved it to a less conspicuous area. Another said it felt like a "blessing" when he saw it first appear, considering how often [people speed](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/17282/181-in-a-75-here-are-the-20-fastest-speeding-tickets-in-texas-in-2017>) on their street.

Fortunately, the missing camera won't cost taxpayers anything—the Providence mayor's office told *WJAR* that it's Conduent Solutions' responsibility to replace it.

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)