Starting Monday, Minneapolis will extend traffic control hours so that the Minneapolis Police Department won't have to respond to parking complaints that are submitted overnight.

The extension is a pilot program the city is launching to test an alternative to police response.

"The goals of this pilot are to free up MPD time and resources spent on parking calls, improve service experiences and reduce duplicate services, while responding to urgent parking complaints on time," a news release announcing the program said.

Traffic control now responds to reports of parking violations during the day. By adding the additional hours of 11 p.m.-7:30 a.m Monday through Friday, the city is assessing the possibility of a round-the-clock traffic control model.

Christina Saint Louis