Blue Lights Activated to Help Catch Red Light Violators

ST. CLOUD -- You may want to think twice before running that red light this year. Law enforcement in the St. Cloud area will be using blue confirmation lights to help catch red-light runners at certain intersections.

Stearns County Sheriff's Lieutenant Kellen Hemmesch says they will be conducting saturation patrols several times per month.

The blue light will help officers identify when someone enters the intersection on a red light.

There are 13 intersections where the blue lights will be used. They are along County Road 75 between St. Joseph and St. Cloud and on Highway 15 from 3rd Street North in St. Cloud to just south of Sauk Rapids.

Hemmesch says the intersections of Highway 15 and Division Street and Highway 15 and 2nd Street South in St. Cloud will not have the confirmation lights because there is no safe place for officers to park and observe violators.

Stearns County received a federal grant for just under $50,000 to install the blue lights.

Hemmesch says they waited to install them until the County Road 75 construction was completed last summer.