ST. LOUIS – The City of St. Louis Streets Department has issued a request for proposal seeking a partner vendor for an automated camera enforcement system, moving the City one step closer to bringing red light camera enforcement back.
Mayor Tishaura O. Jones spearheaded the effort to improve safety on our streets and hold reckless drivers accountable by championing and signing Board Bill 105 (Cohn) earlier this year. Known as the Automated Camera Enforcement Act, the bill authorizes the installation of automated traffic control systems at strategic points within St. Louis City that see the most traffic violence.
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“It’s completely unacceptable when drivers speed through red lights, and we are using every tool in our toolbox to curb this destructive behavior,” said Mayor Jones.
Automated camera traffic enforcement will enhance the work already done by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, which issued more than 32,000 traffic tickets last year.
The City respects and will continue to follow the Missouri courts’ decision that led to red light cameras being decommissioned in 2015. Among the key issues the court flagged were that the previous cameras could not prove who was driving a vehicle, which could result in a vehicle’s owner unfairly being punished for another person’s violation.
The updated ordinance, signed by Mayor Jones in April, avoids this issue, as the new cameras will be required to record both a vehicle’s license plate and the driver's face.
Technology can play a vital role in the City’s efforts to prevent traffic violence and enforce the law. To guarantee transparency, Mayor Jones issued Executive Order 78 on February 23, requiring the SLMPD to report on the use of surveillance technology annually, including automated camera enforcement once the cameras are online. The 2024 Surveillance Technology Report was published in May.
The request for proposals is open until Aug. 19 at 4 p.m. and can be found on the City’s website.
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