State Patrol brings back HEAT campaign to rein in speeding and reckless driving

Motorists can expect to see more state troopers patrolling metro-area freeways on the ground and in the air through the summer as part of an aggressive effort to crack down on speeding and enforce other traffic laws.

The State Patrol on Tuesday brought back its Highway Enforcement for Aggressive Traffic (HEAT) campaign after running it for 10 days in February. The initiative, also aimed at combating other criminal activity, resulted in 516 drivers stopped for speeding. Troopers also arrested 23 people for drunken driving, six people with outstanding warrants and cited scores of motorists for violating the hands-free cellphone law, not wearing seat belts or driving without a valid license.

"The first HEAT patrols last month were successful in stopping speeding drivers and, with the help of our aviation resources, we were able to catch people who chose to flee police," said Col. Matt Langer, chief of the Minnesota State Patrol. "We hope to have local agencies working with us to increase the presences of law enforcement on Minnesota highways and freeways."

On Tuesday morning through early afternoon, the patrol focused on Interstate 94 in St. Paul. Patrols shifted to I-94 between downtown Minneapolis and Brooklyn Center Tuesday night. The initiative will continue through Aug. 24.

HEAT patrols in February primarily focused on I-94 in Minneapolis, but also included extra patrols on Hwy. 100 in northern Hennepin County, and Interstates 494 and I-35E in the east metro. Troopers will be stationed along those routes again, but also in areas with public-safety concerns, Langer said.

HEAT also will be used on highways outside the metro area, Langer said. A schedule will be announced in the coming weeks, he said.

The patrol also will use helicopters as part of HEAT to follow drivers who attempt to flee from a traffic stop. In February, pilots followed vehicles who took off from a traffic stop and directed troopers or police to their location to make an arrest.

The patrol first used HEAT in the mid-2000s and has used it off and on since to promote compliance with traffic-safety laws. A rise in risky driving — specifically speeding — during the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the patrol to bring HEAT back last month,

Speeding was the leading contributing factor to deadly crashes in Minnesota in 2021, accounting for 162 fatalities, the Department of Public Safety said.

As of Sunday , 13 motorists had died in speed-related crashes in Minnesota this year. That compares with 26 at the same date last year, according to preliminary data from the state's Office of Traffic Safety.