Minneapolis, MN
Cameras could catch Minnesota speeders starting this summer
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Speeding tickets will be coming from cameras in Minnesota before the summer is over.
Camera tickets coming
Two cities testing:
Minneapolis is on the road to approving a vendor to run the traffic safety camera program, and they won’t be alone.
The city plans to roll out five of them in September and then up to 42 over the course of a four-year pilot program.
But it’ll be Mendota Heights with the first camera in action on Aug. 1.
Minneapolis considering traffic cam locations
Ahead of the implementation of cameras on traffic lights that could catch drivers speeding and running red lights, Minneapolis officials are holding public meetings to inform residents of potential first locations of the pilot program.
Traffic cameras sending speeding tickets may seem like Big Brother to some, but to Mendota Heights police chief Kelly McCarthy, they’re the least intrusive way to make sure streets are safe, and maybe the most effective.
“We can send an officer and then as soon as the officer leaves, behavior goes back to the problematic levels,” Chief McCarthy said.
They’ll be the first city to use cameras to monitor speed under a 2024 law allowing just them and Minneapolis to put the cameras to the test.
Why do it?
Speed kills:
It’s a response to years of rising traffic deaths, most of which involved speeding drivers.
“We hope that we’ll get closer to the best cases we’ve seen in other communities where almost no one is speeding any more and that’s our goal,” said Ethan Fawley, a Minneapolis Public Works employee who heads the traffic safety program Vision Zero.
MnDOT will also run up to four cameras in highway work zones starting as soon as this fall.
But their system is limited to giving out warnings.
Crime and punishment
Limited trouble:
Mendota Heights and Minneapolis will give warnings the first time cameras catch a driver at more than 10 mph above the speed limit.
After that, it’s $40 per ticket and $80 if you’re more than 20 mph too fast, still a lot cheaper than most speeding tickets, and they won’t go on your driving record.
“It’s hard to say it’s a money grab,” said Chief McCarthy. “We’re going to lose money on this. We already have because we’ve been using this for years and just mailing out warnings.”
Lots of tickets?
Maybe, maybe not:
The chief predicts they won’t give out more than 10 tickets a year because drivers will get notified of a camera’s location online and on street signage. But she hopes the program succeeds at reducing speeding, especially since the law also only allows cameras within 2000 feet of schools.
Minneapolis may have different expectations about the number of tickets and the revenue they bring, compared to the vendor’s $12 million dollar contract.
“We do anticipate starting in 2026 that will start to cover the contract and other operational costs,” said Fawley.
The contract averages $3 million a year and at $40 a ticket, the city would have to give out 75,000 tickets every year to break even.
The scene of the crash at 26th Avenue North and Emerson Avenue North in Minneapolis. (FOX 9)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A Minneapolis woman was sentenced for her role in a deadly crash that killed two women and injured two other people in December 2024.
READ MORE: Minneapolis woman charged in fatal high-speed crash faces additional charges
Woman sentenced in fatal Minneapolis crash
Big picture view:
Prosecutors say Teniki Steward drove a Buick Enclave into a bus shelter and a Ford Explorer after speeding through a red light.
Both of the women in the Ford Explorer died in the crash. They were identified as 53-year-old Ester Jean Fulks and 57-year-old Rose Elaine Reece.
During the crash, the Ford Explorer went off the road, injuring a 17-year-old boy who was waiting for a school bus.
The passenger in Steward’s vehicle also suffered injuries.
Minneapolis police said that Steward was also injured in the crash.
Steward pleaded guilty to multiple murder charges.
What they’re saying:
During the sentencing, the daughter of one of the victims had a statement read on her behalf:
“There’s nothing that can truly prepare you for the moment your entire world is taken from you. Losing my mom has left a pain in my heart that words will never be able to explain.”
What’s next:
Minnesota law requires that Steward serves at least two-thirds of her sentence, a bit under eight-and-a-half years, in prison.
Fatal Emerson and 26th crash
The backstory:
According to the criminal complaint, through surveillance videos from the scene of the crash and witnesses, investigators learned that Steward, driving the Buick Enclave, had been driving at a high rate of speed northbound on Emerson Avenue North.
Before the fatal crash, Steward sped through the intersection of Emerson Avenue North and Broadway Avenue North, running a red light and nearly causing a crash, the charges said.
Steward then continued to speed northbound down Emerson Avenue North, and ran another red light at 26th Avenue North, hitting the Ford Explorer, which was traveling eastbound, according to the complaint.
The Ford Explorer had been at the intersection of Emerson and 26th on a green light.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty shared the following statement:
“This was an egregious act that took Rose and Esther’s lives and injured a child waiting to go to school at a bus stop. Ms. Steward was driving at extremely dangerous speeds on city streets and narrowly avoided multiple collisions before the incident occurred. Third-degree murder charges are appropriate to hold her accountable and protect our community.”
The Source: This story uses information gathered from an Olmsted County court appearance and previous FOX 9 reporting.
A motorcyclist is dead after an early morning crash in Minneapolis Friday morning.
The Minnesota State Patrol said that at 1:20 a.m., a Suzuki Motorcycle going north on I-35W at Johnson Street hit the left side of the median guard rail.
The motorcycle continued north for about another quarter mile before coming to a rest on the right-hand side.
State Patrol said the rider came to rest on the left shoulder. He was later identified as 21-year-old Andrew James Neuberger.
ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – The Rochester Spartans boys volleyball team played its second game on consecutive nights. The Spartans beat Minneapolis Camden 3-0.
Rochester’s next game will be Tuesday, April 21, at St. Anthony Village at 7:00 p.m.
Find stories like this and more in our apps.
Copyright 2026 KTTC. All rights reserved.
-
Detroit, MI2 hours agoFormer Piston shows Detroit what they’re missing as he dominates next to LeBron
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoEastbound I-80 closure in San Francisco snarls traffic, slows business
-
Videos2 hours agoCan Keir Starmer survive the latest Mandelson revelations? | BBC News
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoPetar Musa’s Brace Not Enough as FC Dallas Draws LA Galaxy 2-2
-
Miami, FL2 hours agoMLS: Messi double helps Inter Miami slay Rapids in front of huge crowd
-
Boston, MA2 hours agoFrom across Boston they flock to play for Latin Academy boys’ tennis, a co-op of 29 schools – The Boston Globe
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoDale Kistler Obituary | The Denver Post
-
Seattle, WA2 hours agoWEST SEATTLE WEATHER: Warm day, but far below record