MINNEAPOLIS – In the coming years, if you get behind the wheel too fast in Minneapolis, motorists may not get a speeding ticket, not from a cop, but from a camera. The state Legislature on the last session of this year gave the green light to a pilot project for the city to test whether they improve safety.
Minneapolis and Mendota Heights could start a four-year pilot project as early as next summer, deploying the cameras in high-risk areas or within 2,000 feet of a school to catch drivers speeding or running red lights.
The plan, which was included in the 1,400-page omnibus bill that just passed before the chaotic end of the session, also authorizes the Minnesota Department of Transportation to use the cameras in highway work zones. The move comes nearly two decades after the Minneapolis City Council passed the so-called “photo cop” ordinance that the Minnesota Supreme Court struck down as violating state law.
The proposal, which awaits Gov. Tim Walz’s signature, would allow the use of cameras on a trial basis and includes guardrails around their use, such as how many are allowed, how proceeds from fines can be used and how people can report a violation can dispute. .
In Minneapolis, Ethan Fawley, who leads a team trying to reduce serious traffic injuries and deaths, said the city would start small with 10 or fewer cameras and pledged to consult with residents before launching the program. There would be a 30-day period during which drivers would only receive warnings.
Then any first offense would be a warning before they would receive a $40 fine – the fine for both red lights and speeding. That doubles to $80 if someone drives 20 miles or more over the speed limit.
“It’s really important that we change behavior, but we’re not overly punitive,” said Fawley, program coordinator for Vision Zero Minneapolis. “What we’re seeing from other cities is that a $40 ticket can be effective in changing behavior, because do you really want to get a $40 ticket every time you drive by that location? The answer for almost everyone is no.”
Mendota Heights Police Chief Kelly McCarthy said during a committee hearing on the bill in February that the city purchased a speed camera system just to write warnings to motorists and used the information collected to make better decisions about where to deploy officers.
“Our citizens have been very supportive of it,” McCarthy said at the time.
The ACLU of Minnesota, which challenged Minneapolis’ original ordinance in 2005, had raised due process and privacy concerns about the use of cameras in this way. The law sets out data privacy rules and makes it clear that a person who owns the car – to whom the ticket is automatically issued – is not subject to a fine or conviction if they provide an affidavit proving that they were not driving at the time . .
There are also protections in place if someone’s car is stolen and caught on camera, or if the driver takes someone to the hospital due to a medical emergency.
Caroline Cummings
