The damage comes as Bellevue expands automated speed enforcement in an effort to reduce serious and deadly crashes across the city.

“The reason the City of Bellevue is implementing speed safety cameras is because speed is a leading contributor to fatal and serious injury collisions, and it is what we hear the most about from our residents,” Bellevue Transportation spokesperson Jennifer Cook told KING 5.

The city installed eight cameras at four locations over the weekend of Aug. 14-16, with one camera monitoring each direction of travel.

A community member called 911 around 5 p.m. Sunday to report damage to cameras along 148th Avenue Northeast, between Northeast 13th and 10th places, Cook said. The city inspected all eight cameras Monday and discovered four had been damaged at two locations.

Both cameras along 148th Avenue Northeast were spray-painted and had their covers smashed. Cook said paint also got inside the units. The city is still determining whether some of the equipment can be cleaned or will need to be replaced.

Two cameras on Forest Drive Southeast, between Southeast 54th Place and Coal Creek Parkway, were also spray-painted.

One of those cameras has since been cleaned and returned to operation. The other needs a new cover. In all, three of the four damaged cameras still require repairs.

Verra Mobility, the city’s contractor for the speed-camera program, is responsible for repairing damage to the cameras under its contract with Bellevue, Cook said. That means taxpayers will not directly pay for the repairs. The total value of the damage is not yet known. Cook said Verra Mobility was still assessing the equipment.