Group recommends automated enforcement as low-level traffic stops ramp down
DENVER (KDVR) — The Denver Police Department recently enacted a new policy requiring fewer traffic stops for low-level offenses, like expired tags or driving with a headlight out, but the change prompted many questions.
The FOX31 Problem Solvers asked the department why they were going in this direction. Those involved in the policymaking said fewer police stops do not mean a traffic “free-for-all.”
The changes apply to minor traffic infractions that are not an immediate threat to public safety.
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“There is very little use of automated speed enforcement in Denver, partly because state law previously restricted it,” said Jill Locantore, the executive director of the Denver Streets Partnership.
The laws around automated enforcement changed after Gov. Jared Polis signed a law allowing localities to mail traffic violation notices when an automated vehicle identification system detects a violation.
“Automated enforcement refers to the use of cameras and radars to detect when a car is going over the speed limit and then a ticket is sent to the owners of a car in the mail. And research has shown when people get that ticket once, they are very unlikely to speed in the future,” Locantore said.
Denver Streets Partnership was part of a task force formed in 2020 to reimagine policing and public safety. The group recommended police move further away from officer-initiated enforcement.
“The city has not yet started taking advantage of the opportunity to really expand the use of automated enforcement so we’re calling on them to do so while continuing to expand on these equity considerations,” Locantore said.
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The Denver agency’s new policy is one of those considerations. Community groups are hoping the change keeps Denver streets safer for drivers, police and pedestrians, too.
“The primary way community members often interact with police is through traffic infractions and we’ve just seen too many times over and over in Denver and throughout the country, those interactions can escalate and lead to violence and sometimes even death,” Locantore said.
Another part of making this vision of safer streets come to fruition is better street designs, meaning more built-in measures, like bike lanes, crosswalks and street signs so drivers can see when they are in violation for themselves.
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