Gilroy
– Police wrote more than twice as many traffic tickets in 2004
as they did in 2002, for which the department credits the addition
of a full-time traffic officer early last year.
By Lori Stuenkel
Gilroy – Police wrote more than twice as many traffic tickets in 2004 as they did in 2002, for which the department credits the addition of a full-time traffic officer early last year.
The Gilroy Police Department issued 4,595 traffic citations last year – an average of more than 12 a day – up 53 percent from 2003, when 3,009 citations were issued. Drivers received fewer than 3,000 tickets from 2000 to 2002.
A full-time traffic officer was reinstated early last year, after more than 12 years of regular patrol officers handling traffic issues. Officer Joe Crivello took over the position and used the department’s Chevrolet Camaro and BMW motorcycle to patrol problem areas.
“Having someone out there enforcing traffic on a routine basis, people realize they need to pay attention and fix bad driving habits,” Sgt. Kurt Svardal said. “(Crivello) was a very busy man.”
This past January, GPD issued 432 traffic citations to drivers, according to the crime analysis unit, which provided data for 2000 to present. Prior to February 2004, the number of traffic tickets during a one-month period did not surpass 400. November 2003 was the only month in which the number of tickets surpassed 300.
The data from the four-year period shows a pronounced increase in 2004, when Officer Crivello began working traffic full-time: The number of citations was more than 400 during five months, and fewer than 300 in only two months, in 2004. Police wrote the highest number of tickets in one month – 488, or more than 15 a day – last August.
The citation totals do not include those that generated an arrest.
From January through part of April of this year, the department is close to one-third of last year’s total, although the city has been without a full-time traffic officer since mid-March, when Crivello was promoted to corporal and began regular patrol. The department will be without a full-time traffic officer until summer, as existing patrol positions are filled by new hires.
“We are absolutely planning on refilling that position, because it helps,” Svardal said. “We’re wanting to get one sooner than later, so it’s going to be as soon as we can get the positions for patrol filled up.”
The traffic officer concentrates on some of the city’s more notorious intersections, such as the busier ones on Leavesley Road or Church Street. Crivello also tried to focus his efforts on the locations and particular times of day when collisions were more likely, and the places where residents pointed to problems.
“We receive complaints from neighborhood areas that are experiencing traffic issues, and having someone with the flexibility to dedicate time to that … is a benefit,” Svardal said.
Crivello also made time in his schedule to get involved in public education and other enforcement campaigns, such as the Avoid the 13 around the holidays.
He began patrolling on GPD’s new BMW motorcycle last July, when 482 traffic citations were written. The motorcycle provides a traffic officer more maneuverability that a patrol car cannot. For example, the officer can park on a sidewalk or some place out of the way of regular traffic, park in areas with little space, or turn around quickly and without being noticed.
“The No. 1 thing we want is people to follow the rules of the road,” Svardal said. “Stopping at the light instead of running through it is going to save you a lot in the long run, especially if you’re involved in a collision.”
Stopping at a red light also saves a driver hundreds of dollars – nearly a $300 minimum, actually. Driving through a stop sign will cost $130. A speed violation can cost more than $100, although any traffic fine and penalty can increase depending on a driver’s prior citations.
Most of the funds generated from traffic citations goes to the state.
“When it comes to traffic enforcement, we don’t look at it as a big revenue generator because it’s not much,” Svardal said. “It’s more along the lines of getting people to pay attention to the rules of the road.”
