Members of the Minneapolis City Council have approved a contract with NovoaGlobal, Inc. which requires the company to set up a “speed and red-light camera enforcement system” in the city.
Approved on Thursday, the contract runs for four years and will pay NovoaGlobal, Inc. up to $12 million to install an automated traffic enforcement system. A Minneapolis spokesperson told Alpha News last week that the contract now awaits Mayor Jacob Frey’s signature.
While many states across the country have speed and red-light cameras, Minnesota is one of the few states that does not. In 2024, Democrats in control of state government passed legislation which allows Minneapolis to set up a “pilot program” for the use of red-light and speed cameras.
Now, Minneapolis is in the final stages of setting up the program which will automatically issue citations to drivers who violate the state’s traffic laws. The goal of the pilot program is to “achieve meaningful traffic safety benefits by reducing unsafe driving behaviors.”
According to city documents, motorists who are caught speeding through intersections will first be issued a warning via the new system. Future violations will result in a $40 fine for going 10 mph over the speed limit, and an $80 fine for going 20 mph or more over the limit.
All citations are reviewed by a traffic control agent, and violations do not go on the driver’s permanent record. Additionally, the cameras can only take pictures of a vehicle’s rear license plate and are not permitted to take photographs of individuals.
State law requires each intersection that has traffic safety cameras to have signs that notify motorists about the presence of the cameras. When a speed camera is in use, a sign must be nearby that identifies the motorist’s speed.
Last month, the city announced that the program would start with five speed cameras in various locations across the city. Those cameras will be operational starting in September, and red-light cameras may be set up at a later date. In total, the program may extend to 42 camera locations throughout the city.
A city spokesperson told Alpha News that the locations of the first five cameras will be unveiled after the mayor gives final approval to the contract.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
