DENVER (KDVR) — Speed cameras have become a common tool for law enforcement across the state, and another city is being added to the list of cities that have cameras enforcing traffic laws.
Eaton, just north of Greeley, which also recently installed speed enforcement cameras, began a 30-day warning period for the speed radar cameras on Nov. 1.
The Automated Vehicle Identification System cameras will go live on Dec. 1, the police department said in a post on Facebook Monday.
Police said the cameras will be along the following roadways:
- Northbound and southbound lanes of Oak Avenue (Highway 85) from 10th Street to Colorado Parkway
- Eastbound and westbound lanes of Collins Street (WCR 74) from Fall Line Road (WCR35) to Christensen Avenue (WCR 39)
- Northbound and southbound lanes of Fall Line Road (WCR 35) from 3rd Street to Benjamin Drive
- Northbound and southbound lanes of Christensen Avenue (WCR 39) from Hawkstone Drive to WCR 72
- Eastbound and westbound lanes of East 10th Street from Oak Avenue (Highway 85) to WCR 39
While speed cameras have become common across the state, the Eaton Police Department said it will go about deploying them different than most municipalities, starting with a manual deployment phase, with sworn police officers at each site operating and monitoring the equipment.
“This hybrid approach emphasizes technological accuracy and human oversight as the community and department adjust to the new enforcement tool,” the police department said.
Signs will be posted on roads where the cameras are in use at least 300 feet in advance to warn drivers, in accordance with state law, police said.
Violations will be documented and a notice will be sent by mail to the registered owner of the vehicle.
Citations from speed radar cameras do not impact driving records or insurance.
Police respond to community questions
The police department addressed several questions from members of the community in a follow up post on Facebook.
If you are speeding through the Town of Eaton, you will be cited. That citation may come from an officer during a traffic stop or through a mailed notice as part of the AVIS program. The purpose of this system is not about revenue – it’s about behavioral modification and encouraging drivers to be more attentive and responsible while traveling through our community.
This program involves an officer-operated lidar photo radar system, which captures a short video clip and photograph of the vehicle involved in the speeding violation. Under Colorado law, it is the registered owner’s responsibility to ensure that anyone driving their vehicle does so in accordance with state traffic laws
Eaton Police Department, in part, in a statement.
The department said that fines are $40 and will be issued to drivers caught at over 10 mph above the posted speed limit, unless the violation is in a school or work zone, which will be an $80 fine.
The police department said that the program has not cost anything to the Town of Eaton, and the town will get $26 for each ticket.
Violations are counted as civil and not criminal, but each will have a court date assessed when people “can come in and try to justify why you were going 10+ MPH over the posted speed limit.”
Some comments criticized the police department and the new program, to which the department responded with an application link to its job openings.
More information can be found on the police department’s website and on the FAQ Facebook post.
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