Tuesday’s Santa Rosa crackdown on motorcycle traffic violations resulted in 24 motorcyclists being stopped by officers.
Sgt. Lance Badger said 15 were ticketed for such things as helmets, mechanical and failing to yield. The remaining nine were given warnings.
The all-day enforcement, funded by a grant from the state Office of Traffic Safety, involved five officers whose main focus was motorcycle safety, although they handled other traffic enforcement issues as they came up, Badger said.
The grant is funding eight days of motorcyclist-safety crackdowns by Santa Rosa police, and Badger said five more are planned — the next one is May 22 — through September, when the one-year funding expires.
Petaluma police plan their own motorcycle crackdown on Saturday, again as part of a state Office of Traffic Safety grant. The officers will be looking not only for motorcyclists violating traffic laws but also drivers of cars and trucks who take unsafe actions near motorcyclists.
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Bill
I do not understand why the police departments need grant funding to do what they’re supposed to be doing in the first place.
May 11th, 2012 11:49 am
Jim
A great way to use resources the department doesn’t have…A motorcyclist is SOOOO dangerous when riding without a helmet. Just make sure the Illegal alien is let go. This is the policy of the Petaluma Police Department.
May 11th, 2012 1:01 pm
Safedriver
I just don’t see how targeting drivers of certain kinds of vehicles is legal. Let’s start targeting SUV drivers next, then only white drivers after that… everyone comfortable with that?
May 11th, 2012 3:46 pm
Jimbo96
Okay, they are enforcing the Vehicle Code…isn’t this what they are supposed to be doing anyway? I was under the impression that the city pays the traffic officers specifically to enforce the Vehicle Code. Why does there have to be a specific grant to focus on one form of violation over others? Did the officers involved witness any infractions by drivers of other forms of motorized vehicles and ignore them? If they did they are exhibiting selective enforcement, and it appears that since they focused on motorcycles they would logcally ignore others.
So the conclusion that can be arrived at is that the State of California is bribing police departments to selectively enforce some laws and so doing IGNORE others. But I guess selective enforcement of all kinds of laws is typical anymore seeing how politicians and many judges seem to ignore or create new laws…particularly in the last 50 years…traffic laws here, Immigration laws at the city, state and federal levels, the Constitution is under assault and the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 10th Amendments are no longer what they used to be or should be, so I guess this is no big deal, but does indicate that even those sworn to uphold all the laws no longer do…too bad.
May 12th, 2012 10:00 am
Brad
Cops should narrow their focus even more. Just target fat scruffy looking Walter Mitty type guys on their loud Hog Davis motorcycles.
May 12th, 2012 10:54 am
doghtr
Wonder what the return on this grant investment is bringing in? This is just another way to suck money out of the citizens. Hey, gotta pay for Prop. 13 some how.
May 12th, 2012 11:43 am
Paul I
Police OVERTIME is what the money is for, a big OT party at our expense. Wake up as the State goes broke…
May 13th, 2012 7:44 am