Crosswalk crackdown
Sting allows police to see who yields- and who doesn't
By Joann Groff joann@theacorn.com

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers WALKING THE LINE- Simi Valley police Officer Nicole Anderson walks across Cochran Street as part of Wednesday's crosswalk sting. Twenty-nine citations were issued in two hours.

Nicole Anderson took a deep breath, looked both ways and stepped off the curb into the crosswalk.

She marched across the street, continuing to glance in both directions as cars whizzed in front of and behind her, moving much faster than the posted 45 mph speed limit sign on Cochran Street.

When safely on the other side of the street, she waited a moment, turned around and did it all over again.

For two hours, Anderson, a Simi Valley police officer, crossed the street while fellow officers, parked around the corner, chased down motorists who broke the law time and time again.

The operation was part of a crosswalk sting at Cochran and Heather streets, the fourth of its kind in the last two months.

Twenty-nine citations and five written warnings were issued as a result of Wednesday's sting.

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers PAYING THE PRICE- Simi Valley Senior Officer Butch Hale finishes writing a ticket to one of the 29 offenders who were cited Wednesday for not obeying crosswalk laws at the intersection of Cochran and Heather streets. It is the fourth such sting Simi police have conducted since March.

"The big issue is that there have been lots of complaints from residents about speeding motorists and pedestrian issues," said Lt. Joseph May, who heads up Simi Police Department's traffic enforcement division.

"There are two schools nearby- Justin and Vista elementary schools- and neighborhood residents say their kids aren't allowed to walk to school because of the danger," May said.

In March, Simi Valley Police Department operated its first sting at Cochran and Heather streets following a slew of complaints from neighborhood residents. In two hours, May said, they handed out 44 citations.

Wednesday, the entire traffic patrol unit returned- as several black-and-white police cars and motorcycles huddled on the side of Heather Street chasing car after car that did not yield for the decoy.

"I'm making sure I'm crossing when I know the cars coming have plenty of time to stop," Anderson said. "I can't just step into the street when a car is (almost at the crosswalk). That's not the way the rule works. The pedestrian needs to stop, look both ways and then go."

Anderson was often forced to stop midwalk to let a car speed by, and on several occasions she was only a couple of feet away from a driver's path.

"I'm being careful," she said. "My life is worth more than a ticket."

Within the first three minutes of the operation, five cars were pulled over.

Officers were focused on giving tickets to the most egregious violators, or those who come dangerously close to Anderson, despite the fact that the law says when a pedestrian is crossing, motorists should not drive through a crosswalk.

"A lot of motorists in town don't pay attention," May said. "This is just one of the many ways we respond to citizen concern, especially in cases where it could cause harm to others. A speeding motorist plus a pedestrian just doesn't work out well."

The quiet, tree-lined streets that make up the neighborhood down Heather Street are full of families, many with young children. Tammy Dorch has a 10year-old and a 12-year-old.

"I like hearing that they are doing stuff like this," Dorch said. "It makes you feel better. People are just driving and not paying any attention to what they are doing."

Down the street from the sting is the busy intersection of Cochran Street and Erringer Road. May said having the operation nearby will hopefully slow down motorists as they enter the intersection.

"When people see a police car, they do that process check," May said. "They check their mirrors, feel to see if they're buckled and check their speed. Police cars aren't everywhere. We want people to do that process check when there aren't any cars around. It increases safety and reduces injury."

May countered the idea that the sting could be considered entrapment.

He explained that entrapment is planting an idea in someone's head- for example, an officer posing as a drug user and asking a suspected dealer for drugs.

In this case, May said, officers are simply observing people breaking the law and are on hand to ticket them quickly.

There are similar stings being used by departments all over the country- a simple Google search will prove that, May said.