T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY The city of Marshalltown’s new mobile speed camera was placed along the 800 block of May Street Thursday. Police Chief Mike Tupper estimated that it will stay there for two to five days before moving to another high complaint area or school zone.

The city of Marshalltown’s newly-acquired mobile speed camera was officially placed on the 800 block of May Street Thursday after an announcement from the Marshalltown Police Department on social media.

Police Chief Mike Tupper told the T-R the location was chosen because it was deemed a high complaint area and also because they wanted to place the mobile camera in a low-to-moderate traffic area to “become comfortable with the equipment.”

On Thursday, the camera, which will ticket drivers clocked traveling 11 miles or more over the speed limit of 25 miles per hour, was only capturing eastbound traffic, but Tupper said it could be flipped to capture westbound drivers on another day. He estimated it would stay at its current location for two to five days before it is moved to a new spot.

“We announce where we put it because we are not trying to play gotcha or trick people. We will be transparent. We want people to slow down and obey our traffic laws,” Tupper said.

One resident who lives in the neighborhood told the T-R he estimates that drivers of both cars and motorcycles reach speeds of nearly 100 miles an hour on May Street at night due to the lack of stop signs. The MPD will target both high complaint areas and school zones with the placement of the mobile unit going forward.