COLORADO SPRINGS — Colorado Springs police have started issuing tickets through their new mobile speed camera system after a month-long warning period ended this week.
The Colorado Springs Police Department deployed the mobile speed safety camera cars about a month ago, initially only issuing warnings to drivers caught speeding. The grace period has now ended, and drivers will receive tickets with fines mailed to their registered address.
"All of our vehicles are highly labeled. As you will see, there's signs out that say there's photo enforcement ahead," Pamela Castro said.
Pamela Castro is a Commander with the Colorado Springs Police Department. She said the mobile cameras will only be deployed in four specific areas: school zones, neighborhoods, construction zones, and roads near or next to parks.
She said police have chosen to focus primarily on school zones during morning drop-off and afternoon pickup times. Between those periods, the cameras will monitor neighborhoods, areas near parks, or construction zones.
Steven Lucero, who has two grandsons in elementary school, likes the idea of the ticketing system.
"I used to work for District 11 as a custodian and yah when school let out you would just see people were flying through school zones. People are yelling at people to slow down, so yah I have seen it and it is a problem in Colorado Springs," Lucero said. "Now I am glad they are giving out tickets.”
The fines vary depending on the location where speeding occurs. Drivers caught speeding near parks or in neighborhoods face a $45 fine, while those caught in school zones or construction zones receive an $85 ticket.
"The goal is to keep our kids, our pedestrians, and our bicyclists safe. So if we go to an area and we don't have any citations, that's great because that means that area is safe for our community," Castro said.
Tickets will be mailed to the address listed on the vehicle's registration.
___
Only post office in Poncha Springs closes, leaving small town residents frustrated
The only post office in the small town of Poncha Springs closed in October. Since then, residents have had to pick-up and drop-off their mail in neighboring Salida.
____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.