Metro police use special truck to monitor distracted driving

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RICHFIELD, Minn. — The hands-free law for distracted driving went into effect in August 2019 but according to the Department of Public Safety, more than 32,000 crashes were related to distracted driving from 2018 to 2022.

To combat this, some police departments have turned to the Office of Traffic Safety for some extra tools.

If your hands aren't on the wheel and your eyes aren't on the road, be prepared to be pulled over by a nondescript black Ford F-150.

"Here's one of the cameras that will actually look down and record into somebody's vehicle," Sgt. Robert Smith from the Richfield Police Department said, pointing to a small camera above the rear passenger seat.

The truck is equipped with four cameras. There's one on each side so officers can literally see if drivers are on their phones while driving.

"As time's gone on, people get more and more comfortable using their cellphones and other electronic devices while driving," Smith said.

To combat that growing problem, Richfield police applied for a grant four years ago.

Through the Department of Public Safety's Office of Traffic Safety, Richfield PD was specifically able to receive the truck. It's ultimately funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

"It's an enhancement to that evidence collection capability and it just reinforces what the officer observes," OTS Director Mike Hanson said. "And it makes for very powerful evidence when it goes into court. It's kind of hard to deny you were on your phone when we have a film of you...on the phone."

Despite some rumors on social media that the truck uses artificial intelligence, it does not.

"There is no artificial intelligence or anything like that type of tech in this patrol platform," Hanson said. "This is a Ford F-150 pickup truck. It is outfitted the exact same way that any squad car is in the state of Minnesota."

Plus a couple more bells and whistles here and there, like license plate readers on multiple sides and standard radars, as well as computers in both the front and back. That's so multiple officers can be inside the car, monitoring.

"The best spot to see someone on their cellphone is either next to them on a two-lane road or when you're sitting at a red light," Smith said. "Sitting at a red light, everyone tends to pick up their phone."

The extra elevated truck also allows officers to see from a higher vantage point.

"I've been a part of horrific crashes where people have passed away and at the end of that to find out that it was caused by distracted driving or maybe under the influence," Smith said. "It's heartbreaking because those types of things can be avoided."

The truck, despite its nondescript exterior, does have police markings in accordance with state statutes. Because the truck is shared by a consortium of police departments mostly in the south metro, it might come bearing a magnetic seal for Richfield, Eden Prairie, MSP Airport or Edina.

The magnetic decals are swapped out depending on which department is using the truck.

DPS officials say with the loaning out of trucks to different departments, some police departments have independently decided to purchase a truck like this as well.

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