City council approves ordinance introducing speed cameras to Gallup
By Molly Ann Howell
Managing Editor
The City of Gallup moved one step closer to implementing automated speed cameras after the city council approved a contract with safety equipment supplier NovoaGlobal, Inc. during their Dec. 16 regular meeting.
NovoaGlobal began developing the contract with the city over a year ago.
Throughout 2024, Heidi Traveso, a representative from NovoaGlobal, worked with the city and the Gallup Police Department to collect data regarding speeding on city roads. She shared the data with the council during their April 23 meeting, revealing a major speeding problem within city limits.
Traverso explained how speed cameras could help the GPD prioritize what their limited staff is doing rather than sticking as many officers as possible on traffic duty.
“[Speed cameras] allow locations around the city to be monitored for speeding and it allows the officers to be involved in the community, or to be following up on their cases or to be handling 911 calls; all those things that require human contact and interaction. That’s where you want your officers spending their time,” Traverso said.
With speed cameras, technology does the work, snapping pics of drivers that surpass the speed limit, followed by sending them a letter in the mail with photos and directions on how they can pay their ticket.
A law enforcement officer must review each violation video, but reviews typically take about 20 seconds.
“[It’s] more of a net than a fishing pole,” Traverso said when describing the amount of time the technology saves for officers on duty.
To begin implementing the speed camera program, GPD and NovoaGlobal monitored a few high traffic areas around town and identified problem locations with a speed study report.
The study revealed the drivers, who were unfortunately monitored during the speed study, were clocked going 10 — even 15-20 miles, and more — over the speed limit on roads such as Mentmore and Coal avenues.
Traverso found the numbers slightly concerning, and said Gallup is on par with the much bigger city of Albuquerque when population is factored in.
“These numbers are really high because there’s no intervention right now,” she said. “After we implement the first 30 days with the warnings and the signs go up, there’s a huge drop, like 70%.”
During the Dec. 16 meeting, Gallup Police Chief Erin Toadlena-Pablo explained that the city plans to start out with five cameras, but the contract allows up to 18.
The initial five cameras will be installed around the 500 block of East Aztec and Park avenues, Mendoza Road, and on Churchrock Street between the Red Rock 10 theater and Rehoboth Christian High School, and around the 700 block of East Montoya Boulevard.
Councilor Linda Garcia, Dist. 1, said constituents complain to her about Ford Canyon Drive. She questioned if a speed camera could be placed there as well.
City Attorney David Eason and Toadlena-Pablo said they plan to use mobile speed cameras in school zones, and they’d be willing to put one on Ford Canyon Drive as well.
Under the proposed agreement, NovoaGlobal plans to provide installation, calibration, and operation of speed cameras, along with training for city staff, citation processing assistance, maintenance, public education, reporting, and expert witness support if necessary.
The contract doesn’t require the city to pay an upfront cost. Instead, NovoaGlobal will receive a $27 fee for each speeding violation. The City will also pay NovoaGlobal $3,500 per month for each fixed installation and $4,500 per month for each portable installation they order.
The city will mail violators a notice offering them the option to pay a fine of up to $100 or complete four hours of community service. Gallup Municipal Court will handle cases, though violators may appeal to the district court in rare circumstances.
In order to handle the influx of speed-related cases, the Gallup Municipal Court is expected to hire a full-time clerk to manage the new caseload.
Meanwhile, the GPD won’t add personnel at the moment; instead, the department will use existing staff and overtime to process violations.
So when will the speed cameras be up and running?
Traveso said NovoaGlobal usually takes about 90 days to set up the cameras after both parties sign the contract, depending on weather conditions.
The city won’t immediately penalize drivers for speeding once the cameras go live. The city will also issue extensive public notices before the program begins and will limit penalties to warnings during the first 30 days.
