NEWBERG, Ore. — The City of Newberg is relaunching its red-light and intersection speed photo enforcement program at the intersection of Highway 99W and Villa Road, installing updated camera technology to curb dangerous driving and reduce crashes, officials said.
Get These Stories First, Right in your Inbox
We send out a FREE weekly newsletter featuring the previous week’s biggest stories, upcoming events, and other local happenings. Our email newsletter is the first to know!
The system will begin operation on Monday, Jan. 19, automatically detecting and photographing vehicles that run red lights or exceed the speed limit by 11 miles per hour or more as they enter the intersection. All potential violations are reviewed by a vendor technician and a Newberg-Dundee Police Department officer before a citation is issued, according to the city of Newberg.
City Manager Will Worthey said the cameras do not save or store long-term personally identifiable information, and do not capture any information unless a vehicle violates the traffic laws in the intersection. The data captured from a potential violation is transferred to the court system only if the officer reviewing the image agrees that a violation has occurred.
Under Oregon law, a failure to obey a traffic control device is a Class B violation, which carries a $265 fine. Speeding violations captured by the cameras carry fines ranging from $165 to $440, depending on how far a driver exceeds the limit, officials said.
City officials and police say the technology is designed to change driver behavior, especially at high-crash locations, and improve safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists. Traffic studies conducted along 99W in 2022 identified Villa Road and First Street as priority sites for enforcement, and the state approved the installation of cameras at those intersections.
“Our mission is to keep everyone safe on Newberg’s roadways and prevent serious injuries and loss of life,” said NDPD Chief Jeff Kosmicki. “The Newberg-Dundee Police Department is dedicated to promoting safer driving behaviors and protecting our community by reducing speeding and red-light violations. Photo intersection enforcement technology is one of the tools we use to encourage safer choices and improve roadway safety for all.”
The original enforcement equipment, installed in October 2024, was removed in early 2025 amid unresolved technical issues and a vendor contract termination. A new contract was awarded to NovoaGlobal through a competitive bidding process, and the updated system has completed calibration and testing, city officials said. The camera systems are paid for by citation revenue and not from the city’s budget.
The cameras are triggered only when a vehicle enters the intersection after the light has turned red or is detected exceeding the speed threshold. The system captures multiple images and a short video of each violation, and the evidence is made available online for drivers to review.
Drivers who receive a notice of citation have several options to resolve it through Newberg’s Municipal Court: they may pay the fine, enter a plea of not guilty and request a trial, or, in some cases, request traffic school in exchange for dismissal if eligible. Owners who were not driving at the time of the violation may file a Certificate of Innocence, while businesses or agencies can submit a non-liability form identifying the actual driver.
City of Newberg Interim Public Information Officer Emily Salsbury said citations may take up to 10 days to send to drivers who are captured violating the intersection’s speed or red light while NDPD trains internal teams to manage the citation process.
City signage now clearly marks the intersection as “photo enforced” to alert motorists before violations occur, and officials urge drivers to slow down and stay alert at signalized intersections.
Data from 2023 shows that 1,086 people were killed and more than 135,000 were injured nationwide in crashes involving red-light running, with about half of the deaths involving pedestrians, cyclists, or occupants of struck vehicles, according to the city.
The press release also confirmed that additional red-light and speed cameras have been approved by the Oregon Department of Transportation for the First and Main Street intersection, and planning for that installation is underway.
More detailed information about the enforcement program and citation process is available on the City of Newberg’s website.
January 18 at 1:45 p.m.: Additional information about personally identifiable information was added after an email from Newberg City Manager Will Worthey.
