New Automated Traffic Enforcement cameras go live across Bend
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Automated Traffic Enforcement cameras officially went live in Bend on April 15th, marking a new phase in the city's effort to reduce crashes and improve safety on its busiest roads. The system begins with a 30-day warning period before formal citations and fines are issued.
The cameras are positioned at key intersections identified as problematic for traffic violations and accidents.
Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz stated that these new automated cameras are a necessary tool to address the city's growing traffic safety concerns, as police officers cannot be present at every dangerous intersection 24 hours a day. The technology is intended to assist law enforcement in managing traffic and enforcing safety regulations.
Chief Krantz noted that citizens have been demanding more traffic safety enforcement actions.
The new automated traffic cameras operate by capturing detailed visual evidence of traffic violations. Bend Police Krantz explained how the system records incidents.
“The photograph takes a picture of the front of the driving compartment to try and capture the driver as well. And the front license plate, as well as the camera in the back takes the pictures of the back license plate. And then there's a video clip of six seconds on each side that's taken as well,” Krantz said.
Krantz emphasized the department's reliance on technology to manage the heavy workload of traffic enforcement. “Our police officers cannot do all of that work and we can't sit on an intersection 24 hours a day,” Krantz stated. “Some of the most dangerous intersections in the city for traffic crashes and violations. And we're using technology to assist us in doing that.”
Bend experiences a high volume of traffic crashes annually, a statistic that Krantz finds alarming for the city's size. “One of the most impactful pieces for me is we respond to a minimum of 1,200 and over traffic crashes a year as a Police Department in our community. Those are traffic crashes that are called in. There's a number that people don't even call in and just address themselves. That's a big statistic for a city our size,” Krantz explained.
The primary goal of installing these cameras is to change driver behavior and make the community safer. Chief Krantz believes the cameras, placed at statistically dangerous intersections, will have a significant impact. “These installations of the cameras at the key intersections that are the most dangerous through statistical analysis, through data for our community, through crash data... are really changes that behavior... makes not only those intersections safer, but our community safer,” Krantz said.
Revenue generated from written citations through the traffic cameras will help fund the new technology. The department aims for the cameras to become a vital part of the city's public safety network.
The initial locations for the new traffic cameras include SE Reed Market Road and SE 3rd Street (westbound), NE 27th Street and NE Neff Road (southbound and westbound), and SE Powers Road and Business 97/3rd Street (northbound).
For the first 30 days, from April 15 to May 14, 2026, drivers caught by the cameras will receive only warning notices in the mail. Formal tickets and fines for violations will begin on May 15, 2026.
We know you have questions about the program. To learn more about the Bend Police Department’s Automated Traffic Enforcement, go to https://bendoregon.gov/departments/public-safety/police/traffic-parking/automated-traffic-enforcement-program/.
