Submitted by Aiken Jacobsen on
We recently posted about the dramatic increase in traffic citations which have been issued by California Highway Patrol and local police departments in recent years. In Sacramento there have also been several police campaigns this month to ticket drivers caught using their cell phones.
Critics of this aggressive police action claim that it is merely a way to collect revenue for the city and state, but authorities claim they only want to reduce car accidents. One California city is showing us that safety doesn't have to come at such a high price.
Our northeastern neighbors in the city of Roseville have been enjoying five months with a dramatic reduction in the number traffic citations issued. Despite their reputation for being tough on traffic laws, Roseville police have issued only about one-sixth the usual amount of citations in recent months.
The reduction is part of an intentional campaign to improve relations between police and community members. Officers are encouraged to find creative ways to reduce accidents and enforce traffic laws without writing so many tickets.
This campaign includes efforts to provide police presence in the community in ways other than enforcing laws. Police take time to greet community members and build relationships. When they do make traffic stops, more people are getting off with a warning rather than a ticket.
Citizens may be happier, but is the reduction in tickets preventing accidents? The answer appears to be "yes." Prior to the campaign, Roseville averaged about 137 accidents per month. In the last five months accidents have dropped to just 127 per month, even with the significant reduction in tickets.
The program may seem counterintuitive, but it's hard to argue with results that show a reduction in car accidents because of an even greater reduction in traffic tickets. Perhaps we have stumbled upon an idea that we could adopt in Sacramento and the rest of the state.
Source: The Sacramento Bee online, "Kinder, gentler Roseville PD is issuing fewer tickets," Ed Fletcher, 10 April 2011
