COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — The Commerce City Police Department is rolling out a new way to crack down on speeding. Starting this month, drivers could see an unmanned Jeep parked in neighborhoods and school zones equipped with speed cameras that automatically issue tickets.
Commerce City police say they’ve heard repeated complaints from neighbors about drivers speeding through residential streets and school zones.
“Speeding is definitely a big issue in the city and does lead to quite a few crashes,” said Commerce City Police Department Traffic Unit Sgt. AJ Aguilar.
CCPD has come up with what they feel is a solution, a new enforcement tool designed to slow drivers down.
In neighborhoods across Commerce City, complaints about speeding cars keep coming.
“They are going pretty fast. There are kids walking through here in the morning and afternoon,” said Saul Tamariz, Cocol’s Auto Sales owner.
Saul Tamariz owns Cocol’s Auto Sales and says drivers regularly fly past his business, which is located in a school zone. “A couple every day. It's just kind of annoying,” Tamariz said.
Denver7 took those concerns to Commerce City police.
“Speeding is definitely a problem throughout the city and throughout the state,” Aguilar said. “Last year overall, with patrol and traffic, we issued around 8,000 traffic tickets. A majority of them, I would say, are usually for speeding.”
To address those concerns, Sergeant AJ Aguilar with the Commerce City Police Department says the department is introducing an unmanned speed enforcement vehicle equipped with cameras.
“It's going to be a Jeep that's going to be posted in mostly residential construction zones and school zones,” Aguilar said.
Here’s how it works. The car, which is parked on either side of the road or in a median, uses radar to measure a car’s speed. If a car is going too fast, it takes a picture of both the driver and the license plate. A citation is then generated and later reviewed by officers.
“It's hard for officers to get into those locations quickly enough. This is going to give us a chance to set up beforehand for the places that have those common reoccurrences of complaints,” Aguilar said.
Citations will be mailed to the registered owner of the car. For the first 30 days, warnings will be issued. Starting in April, it will change to tickets. But police say the goal isn’t revenue, it’s about prevention.
Tamariz heard about the changes coming his way, and he says he’s on board. “If we could save, in the future, somebody's life or somebody from not getting hurt, I think it's a great idea,” Tamariz said.
The Speed Jeep will rotate locations, likely daily, in areas with repeated complaints. Commerce City police say to reach out to them via email at trafficcomplaints@c3gov.com if you think your street needs the Speed Jeep.
