KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Drivers who speed through Knoxville school zones will soon hear about it by mail. The Knoxville Police Department plans to switch on automated speed enforcement cameras in about 39 public school zones on Monday, Nov. 16.
The program grew out of speed studies the city ran in May 2025. Over five days, those checks logged thousands of violations by drivers going well over the posted limit near schools. That same month, Knoxville City Council approved a contract with Blue Line Solutions, a Chattanooga company, to put the cameras in. Installation work started earlier this year.
The rollout comes in two steps. From Nov. 16 until winter break, anyone caught speeding gets only a warning in the mail. Starting Jan. 5, when students come back from break, the cameras will lead to real tickets, each carrying a $50 fine. Money from those fines is set aside for safety work in school zones and on city streets.
A KPD officer must look at the footage and confirm a violation before anything is mailed. Police said the cameras run only during posted school zone hours in the morning and afternoon, are marked with signs, and cannot be used as surveillance cameras or license plate readers. They store data only after a qualifying speeding violation in an active school zone.
Chief Paul Noel described the cameras as an extra tool to get drivers to slow down around children, and Mayor Indya Kincannon said the aim is safety for students rather than writing tickets.
Crews will keep building after the first cameras go live. When the work is finished, the system is expected to cover 71 sites in 41 school zones. Any camera added later will go through its own 30-day warning period before citations begin.
Section: More Knoxville TN crime news
Filed under: Knoxville TN Traffic News
