UPDATE: Traffic Enforcement Becomes a Priority for San Carlos Police Department

San Carlos residents who posted suggestions for the police department on the city of San Carlos facebook page were awarded for their enterprise as San Carlos Police Captain Greg Rothaus issued this statement Thursday:

"I appreciate all your suggestions for directed traffic enforcement. Thanks to a recent decision by our City Council to spend additional funds on traffic enforcement, we are well positioned to address these and other complaint areas.

"This morning, Sergeant Rick Tippins and his Traffic Enforcement Team worked traffic in a few areas. I'm told they wrote 4 speeding citations on the west end of Melendy and 6 citations on the west end of Brittan. The citations on Brittan were for cell phones, stop signs, etc. ... but none for speed. They were out working other areas as well.

"Please feel free to email any traffic complaint you have to our Traffic Sergeant, Steve Pettit. His email is spettit@smcgov.org.

"We will continue to monitor your postings on the City's Facebook page and I will keep you posted on our efforts."

Unless you are willing to you pay large fines or spend time in jail, maybe yielding to pedestrians would be a good idea. Not only does it make good sense, it's also the law.

And now it has become a priority for the San Carlos Police Department.

The City of San Carlos announced the Police Department will increase Traffic Enforcement in San Carlos beginning immediately.

Increased police presence was obvious in the downtown area Wednesday afternoon. Cruisers were spotted all along Laurel Street and several of the side streets.

A car was detained on Holly Street by a police officer just after the end of commute time Tyesday evening.

Using a "zero tolerance" approach to traffic violations, deputies will concentrate their efforts on the more hazardous violations such as speeding and failure to yield to pedestrians.  Cell phone usage while driving and other distracting behaviors will also be targeted.

Two dedicated Traffic Deputies will be deployed using these new strategies to target both the morning and evening commutes.

The City Council added a second, full-time Traffic Deputy to the 2012-13 budget in June.  The new Traffic Deputy is now on the streets and the extra traffic enforcement is in full swing in San Carlos.

The actions were taken following a steady stream of complaints about driver behavior within the City.

"Our City Council heard the community loud and clear and took action to clean up driver behavior," San Carlos Police Bureau Chief Captain Greg Rothaus said.  "With two deputies dedicated strictly to traffic enforcement, we are now positioned better than most cities our size to take action against motorists whose driving behavior puts others at risk."

Each Traffic Deputy is equipped with both radar and laser speed detectors and the deputies are fully trained in this equipment.

When school opens in August, San Carlos Police plan to be visible, with a heavy emphasis on traffic safety during the time children arrive and leave school. 

"For those who drive safely and obey traffic laws, there is nothing to worry about with this increased enforcement," Captain Rothaus said.  "For all the others, I'd recommend toning it down starting immediately."

One speeding ticket can cost up to $380. Failure to yield to a pedestrian can lead to a fine as high as $500.  Continued offenses could result in a jail sentence.

The illegal use of a cell phone could cost up to $50 per offense.

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