Pilot Program Will Use Live Stream To Monitor Red Light Violations
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The Minnesota State Patrol is launching a new pilot program that uses a live stream to catch drivers who run red lights.
Officers say the intersection of Highway 15 and 2nd Street South in St. Cloud is one of the most dangerous in the state. Now, it's part of a program starting June 1 that will have a camera monitoring the southbound lanes.
It's not the standard red light camera other states have adopted. This one will effectively be a video feed that an officer can watch.
"This is live stream video from this intersection of southbound traffic that will be streamed to their computers. The troopers or the officers will sit father south, which will allow them to watch the video live and also the video once it alerts the officers that there is a red light violation, a tone will go out and will capture several photographs and a video, a short video of that violation," said Capt. Brad Ouart, with Minnesota State Patrol.
Officers will then issue a $175 ticket. State Patrol, in conjunction with St. Cloud Police and MnDOT, will see how successful the pilot is as it runs for 90 days.
It's the only intersection with this technology for now. If it succeeds and authorities see fewer people running red lights, other roads in other cities might be next in line.
The program – including research and development – costs $200,000. State officials estimate each system installed after this will cost about $35,000.
As for the video itself, State Patrol says it does not use facial recognition, nor is it designed to read license plates. In most cases, the video will be deleted after 48 hours.
