The South Lake Minnetonka Police Department (SLMPD) has deployed an AI-powered camera enforcement system to curb texting behind the wheel and other distracted driving behaviors.
SLMPD recently announced that AI camera technology from Australian-based company Acusensus has been deployed along Highway 7 west of the Twin Cities in Minnesota. The system features bright orange bars holding up multiple cameras angled to capture images of the interior of passing vehicles.
The Acusensus “Heads Up” camera system “uses AI technology to determine when people are on their cell phones or not wearing their seatbelts, and then it sends a message to an officer who is waiting down the road to take a look at that, determine if there is a violation, and make an enforcement action,” police said.
SLMPD says that the technology has been deployed in hopes of reducing crashes and roadway fatalities.
To emphasize the new technology, SLMPD, the Minnetonka Police Department, and the Deephaven Police Department partnered for a special distracted driving patrol along Highway 7 earlier this month.
“Our new AI technology assisted officers, as we hosted a distracted driving detail on Highway 7. Today felt very educational for the drivers that our officers had interactions with. Being able to show the drivers what the technology picked up on the camera was a lil eye opening, even for the ones working the detail!” police said.
See below for results from the AI-assisted enforcement effort:
SLMPD:
- 62 Traffic Stops
- 29 Citations
Minnetonka PD:
- 14 Stops
- 5 Citations
Deephaven PD:
- 10 Traffic Stops
- 0 Citations
Total Stops: 86
Total Citations: 34
Similar Acusensus AI technology has also been deployed in North Carolina specifically for commercial vehicle enforcement.