Southeast / Long Beach : Safety Citations Stop Them Cold

Speeding motorists are not the only ones being chased down by citation-wielding police officers in east Long Beach these days. Now even innocent children are being stopped as they ride their bikes around town wearing bicycle helmets, or attempt to cross the street at a crosswalk.

But these children don’t take their “notices to appear” to court. Instead, they take them to the nearest Thrifty drugstore and trade them in for an ice cream cone.

The redeemable citations for youngsters are part of a new pilot program that officers in the East Division of the Long Beach Police Department have begun as a way to reward youngsters for being safety-minded.

“It’s positive reinforcement,” said Cpl. Joe Levy, a department spokesman. “Traffic-related injuries and deaths have long been a concern at this department, so we are trying to encourage youngsters to be more safety-conscious.”

Levy said department officials hope the program will help prevent accidents.