Pico Rivera : Police Step Up Enforcement to Curtail Street Cruising

Pico Rivera officials and police are trying to put an end to cruising, in which scores of juveniles and adults take to the streets at night to show off their cars and socialize.

Over the past two months, police have been stepping up efforts to curb the crusing along Whittier Boulevard and other main streets on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

“We’re optimistic that enforcement efforts are working,” said Sgt. Rick Adams of the county Sheriff’s Department. “We’ve noticed that the traffic is more controlable.”

From Aug. 23 through 27, police cited 313 cruisers along the main streets, Adams said. Usually, police issue an average of 550 citations for moving and parking violations and tow away about 14 cars and motorcycles over a two-week period, Sheriff’s Capt. Tom Sams said.

In July, the Pico Rivera City Council authorized the use of city funds, about $9,000 a week, to pay Sheriff’s Department and city employees to put up barricades to divert traffic.

About four years ago, city officials vowed to stop the crusing and on a couple of occasions were successful by stepping up enforcement efforts.

According to City Manager Dennis Courtemarche, crusing in the area “comes and goes,” but is “much more concentrated and larger” now.

The cruisers are not necessarily residents, Sams said.

“Flyers distributed in the South Bay at the first of June were advertising for people to come to Pico Rivera” to cruise, Sams said. Other cruisers have come from as far as Moreno Valley. “We’ve even issued a citation to someone from San Jose,” he said.