Community volunteers and St. Paul police officers gathered along West 7th on June 22 as part of the city’s renewed Stop For Me pedestrian safety campaign, an effort aimed at improving driver compliance with Minnesota’s crosswalk laws and reducing traffic crashes involving people walking.

The enforcement and education event took place at the marked crosswalk on West 7th in front of Day by Day Cafe near Goodrich Street. During the event, a plainclothes St. Paul police officer crossed the street with volunteers while monitoring driver behavior. Officers in marked squad cars stopped motorists who failed to yield the right-of-way and provided education about Minnesota’s crosswalk laws.

Stop For Me is a partnership among the St. Paul Police Department, Sustain St. Paul, community organizations and residents. The volunteer-led initiative began in 2014 and has been led by the police department since 2015. In addition to enforcement, volunteers and officers collect observations that are shared with St. Paul Public Works to help identify potential street and crossing improvements.

Under Minnesota law, drivers must stop and yield to pedestrians crossing within a marked crosswalk or at an intersection where no crosswalk markings exist. Drivers must remain stopped until the pedestrian has safely passed the lane in which the vehicle is stopped.

The June 22 event comes as city officials express growing concern over pedestrian safety. According to city crash data, St. Paul recorded 31 pedestrian crashes, 21 injuries and four pedestrian fatalities during the first three months of 2026. Police officials say a pedestrian is struck by a vehicle in St. Paul roughly once every other day.

The campaign was revived this year following a series of fatal crashes. As of late May, five pedestrians had died in traffic crashes in St. Paul during 2026.

One of those deaths occurred May 26 on West 7th Street near Watson Avenue. According to St. Paul police, a man was struck and killed by a sport-utility vehicle while crossing the street. Preliminary information indicated the pedestrian was not in a crosswalk. The crash prompted renewed calls for safety improvements along the West 7th corridor.

City officials say enforcement alone will not solve the problem. Recent street redesigns, including traffic-calming measures, pedestrian refuge areas and improved crossings, are intended to reduce vehicle speeds and make streets safer. Organizers of Stop For Me hope the campaign’s combination of education, enforcement and community involvement will encourage both drivers and pedestrians to remain alert and help prevent future tragedies.