Minnesotan gets camera ticket in Cedar Rapids

My husband I stayed in the Cedar Rapids area over the 4th of July. A few weeks after arriving home, in MINNESOTA, we received not one but TWO camera “citations” from Cedar Falls! Quite honestly, we saw maybe one or 2 speed limit signs on the highway the entire time (and even commented on it) and absolutely NO “camera in use” notifications. We both drove at different times and both believed we were going with the flow of traffic.
This feels like entrapment-is there no law that they have to let you know that there are cameras in use? Being from Minnesota do we have any recourse? We contested them as per the instructions on the citations and simply got back form letters denying us a few days later.
Does anyone on here honestly know the worst that could happen here if we refuse to pay?

If you don’t go to court and or don’t pay it I would imagine they will write a warrant for who ever the vehicle is registered to

It’s life & times in 2023, lots of cameras around. If you think you weren’t speeding go to court and plead not guilty. If you were pay the fine.

Haven’t seen these around much…

Good luck. They will often target out of state people simply because they know they won’t contest or go to court. I got a ticket in Kansas City on a 4 or 5 lane road and I was in the second lane from the right getting passed on my left. Figure out how that works!

Cedar Rapids has one on each end of town on I 380. They are marked with “Speed Limit 55 Photo Enforced”. They send you a picture of your car and license plate.
Cedar Falls and Waterloo have them and some are marked and some are not. Follow local traffic and do as they do. Good not to be the lead vehicle. The newer GPS in cars or portable usually warn you of upcoming traffic cameras. Des Moines has them on I 235. I received a picture from Hannibal Mo. Said I went through a red light. Could see me in the car and plate. Costs as much to fight as to pay. Iowan fought to Ia Supreme court and they refused to ban them. Good luck

The entire system is more or less automated. No one is there pulling violations based on where you live. You got the citation because the radar camera detected the vehicle as going above the posted speed limit.
The speed limit is in effect regardless if a law officer is watching or a camera is watching or no-one is watching.
Pay the fine and next time slow down. Sheesh

A warrant in Iowa? (which we bill never set foot in again) OR MINNESOTA?

Doesn’t matter, if you are guilty man up and pay the fine.

Carole Louise wrote:

A warrant in Iowa? (which we bill never set foot in again) OR MINNESOTA?

It will be a warrant in Iowa. But if you are ever stopped anywhere and have a warrant they will transport you to the warranted county on your own dime.

Carole Louise wrote:

A warrant in Iowa? (which we bill never set foot in again) OR MINNESOTA?

If there is an outstanding warrant in any state you will not be able to renew you plates in MN. All the states computer systems talk to each other. My wife worked in a DMV office and it’s been that way for several years.

THANK YOU!

I got two from one weekend…. Driving each way through that town for work years ago – really late at night on an empty highway. Can’t remember the cost, but it was a lot… my lesson, stay out of Iowa, Cedar Rapids for darn sure. I expect to pay a ticket now and then, two big ones in 48 hours exceeded my threshold

Do it in a rental car where that company adds a surcharge and it is even worse.

BIL went to Australia a few years back. Hardly any LE cars on the roads. Every intersection and highway had cameras.
His son was driving and got pulled over at 830 in the morning and had to do sobriety tests because they were driving slow. They were confused on directions. I guess the locals drink till 4 or 5 AM sleep a couple hours and head off to work still half lit! I guess they get a lot of OWI’s in the morning.

I am originally from Cedar Rapids, Iowa and it is definitely a money grab and a hot button for me. Cedar Rapids literally gets millions of dollars a year from the tickets. First of all the tickets won’t be reported to your insurance company to increase your rates as they have no proof who was driving the vehicle.

Secondly I never paid the ticket and had no problem renewing my plates in Iowa and now Wisconsin.

Google class action lawsuit against Cedar Rapids traffic cameras. Cedar Rapids was forced to return over a million dollars in tickets.

Ouch.

Thank you so much for your response!
We did figure out that this is a private company that gives big brother a share of the loot but none of this is coming from the authorities themselves-EVERYTHING about this deal is automated from a private company – what a RACKET!
Guaranteed, I will never set foot in Iowa again.

I think what finally brought this to a head is with holding people’s tax refunds to pay for the tickets and the exorbitant fees that were added to the tickets. Another hot button was property or sales tax didn’t decrease with the extra million dollars of income generated by the cameras.

There are signs that state there are traffic control cameras in town. The threshold is set at 12mph over. Therefore the driver was going at least 67 in a 55 zone. It’s not like they have them set at 1mph over. There is a reasonable chance an officer would pull the driver over for 67 in a 55. That camera is far less dangerous than the drivers I experienced in Minneapolis yesterday that were whipping by at 20+ over the limit. Maybe I should boycott minnesota since they won’t take care of their speeders????

Well if this was YOU!
Then I have no pity for you.

I would consult an Iowa attorney.
The first consultation won’t cost you anything.

Obey the law and save money and lives!

I know very little about the topic. If it flags you with a citation for 12+ mph over and that’s what you were doing, then you deserve the ticket. 7-8mph is a different story but 12+ is getting you a ticket most places by an in person officer.

I did however learn from this topic that people willingly travel to Iowa. You never know what you can learn on IDO

I got caught by the same camera. I had a business 90 miles from there. Needed an order quick so I ran over to pick it up. Got the ticket in the mail. No doubt I was probably guilty, so I paid it. Just thought it was a bs way to issue tickets. What stung the most. It was January and my truck was a ball of ice. Couldn’t see the taillights or license plate. So, I pulled it in the building and thawed it out and rinsed it off before I left to be safe. That one bit me in the axx. Had I not done that the plate would have been under snow like most the other vehicles on the road. At least it’s like a parking ticket, doesn’t go against your record, if you pay it. “When in Rome” If you drive Cedar Rapids, follow a local. Johnson county plates I believe. They will go 20 over till they get close to the camera, hit the brakes before the camera. Speed back up when they pass it. That stretch bounces back and forth 55 to 65. I’m a big supporter of law enforcement, just not a fan of that process.

I read an article a few months back on cameras in Webster City, Iowa on US Highway 20. I think that was the city. Anyway it was generating a couple million dollars in revenue for the city. They were using it for parks and city upgrades. Didn’t say anything about lowering taxes or fees. It basically said it was being used as an income stream.

CR is in Linn County. While generally good advice to follow a local through the area and watch for brake lights, it is not a guarantee. For example, in May 23, here is the breakdown of tickets issued-

29% Cedar Rapids residents
10% Linn County outside of CR
25% Iowa resident outside of Linn County
36% Other States

Man and here I thought they were still working on installing their first stop light in Iowa…

Pat K is right. You don’t pay in Iowa, and you wont be able to renew your license in MN. The only way to contest is to prove the vehicle isn’t yours. If you live in MN always report your car when it is sold. Consider keeping the plated even. Not all states are required to say its camera enforced so don’t depend on that. And almost all states do it now.

I was speeding and got caught, now I am mad. LOL

I remember when they spent Millions on installing red light cameras Minnesota ( Mostly the metro area I believe ) After less than a year the minnesota court ruled they were not legal and they ended up having to remove them. I believe the ruling was a ticket must be issued to the driver and not the auto owner. Since there is no way of telling who the driver was, it was rules NOT legal. I guess Iowa court has seen things a little different. Then again people is Iowa see a lot of things different