DENVER (KDVR) — Watch your speed. Beginning Monday, the Aurora Police Department will issue citations for drivers caught speeding through a photo enforcement program.

The transition follows a 30-day warning period. However, the warning has ended and drivers will start receiving fines if they are caught speeding 11 mph over the posted limit.

According to the Aurora Police Department, trained officers will be deployed in residential neighborhoods where the speed limit is 35 mph or less. These include school and work zones, and streets that border a municipal park.

Officers will be in marked police cars that are equipped with Lidar – Light Detection and Ranging – technology.

Warning signs will be posted reminding drivers that photo radar is in use.

Aurora Police said the department launched the program in response to the rise in crash-related deaths. Since 2019, annual crash deaths have increased by 18% across the U.S. and by 28% in Colorado, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Colorado Department of Transportation.

“Traffic fatalities have been on the rise in Colorado and throughout the country, and speeding is
a major contributing factor,” said Aurora Police Chief Art Acevedo. “We recognize as a
department that something must be done. The photo enforcement program is another important tool that we will utilize in our mission to keep our residents and the traveling public safe.” 

According to Aurora Police, in 2022, 50 people died in Aurora crashes.

So, next time you are driving through a residential area in Aurora, be sure to check your speed or it will cost you.