Des Moines police request for more mobile speed cameras denied, over 78,000 citations issued in 2024
State leaders have denied the Des Moines Police Department's request to increase mobile speed cameras.
State leaders have denied the Des Moines Police Department's request to increase mobile speed cameras.
State leaders have denied the Des Moines Police Department's request to increase mobile speed cameras.
State leaders have denied the Des Moines police department's request for additional mobile speed cameras, following a significant decrease in citations. Recent data from 2024 shows citations were down by 20% from 2023, which city leaders attribute to the mobile speed camera program being paused for more than a month while the law was reviewed.
Des Moines Police Chief Michael McTaggart shared data during a city council work session on Monday, revealing that more than 14,000 red light citations and 78,000 speed enforcement citations were issued from mobile cameras in 2024.
The majority of red light citations came from the camera at Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway and School Street, while most speed citations were issued from the 4700 block of I-235. Currently, Des Moines police operate six cameras that rotate between 12 approved locations.
McTaggart expressed the department's intention to add more cameras, adding that the state denied DMPD's request to do so last week.
Mayor Connie Boesen said people speeding on residential streets is a top complaint. She said, "The number one thing we hear from our neighborhoods are speed."
Several council members have asked the department to submit another request to the state to add mobile radar units.
A new Iowa speed camera law requires cities to apply for cameras by explaining their necessity. Enforcement in Des Moines was paused between May 17 and June 27 while the city updated the cameras to meet legal requirements.
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