Police Crack Down on Unlicensed Drivers

A South El Monte woman leaving work to pick up her daughter at school was one of a handful of drivers stopped Wednesday at a Buena Park police checkpoint designed to catch people without valid licenses.

She found herself handcuffed and sitting in the back of a police cruiser, arrested on an outstanding warrant for driving on a suspended license.

“Sir, please,” she begged the arresting officer. “Please.”

But she was taken away anyhow, and her 1983 Toyota was towed.

The random checkpoint, similar to police blockades to catch drunken drivers, was the first of its type in Orange County, Buena Park Police Sgt. Ken Coovert said.

“We’ve noticed a high number of the accidents we get called to involve drivers who are unlicensed or have suspended licenses,” Coovert said. “We decided to be preventive.”

Officers staffing the blockade also checked for vehicle code violations, such as windows tinted too dark, missing front license plates and lack of insurance.

Of the vehicles that passed the checkpoint, about 5%, or more than 200, were stopped for violations, and 152 tickets were issued. Officers made five arrests on outstanding traffic warrants and cited 26 unlicensed drivers.

About two dozen cars were impounded during the nine-hour operation, which began at 8 a.m. Owners will have to pay at least $108 to recover impounded vehicles, plus $18 for each day that the car is not claimed.

The blockade targeted cars northbound on Valley View Avenue south of the Riverside Freeway.

The response of drivers on the busy thoroughfare, which is a direct link to the freeway, ranged from mild annoyance to major frustration. Some calmly handed over licenses and registration. Others buried their faces in their hands and shook their heads.

The checkpoint was modeled after a program that has operated for several years in other communities, including Ontario. That city’s Police Department gave Buena Park officers logistical guidance.

“It’s an enforcement mechanism that has worked well for us,” said Ontario Police Sgt. John Evans, whose department has been setting up blockades about four times annually for the past five years. Both accidents and crime have decreased, he said, though exactly what role the checkpoints played in that reduction is not clear. Still, he said, his department is committed to keeping the program going.

Buena Park police were counting Wednesday’s effort by officers, reserve officers and volunteers as a success.

“We plan to do it again, probably in the next few months,” Coovert said, adding that very few motorists complained about the inconvenience.

Laura Corning, 33, who lives in the neighborhood, said she was glad to see police checking the intersection, which she said is busy and the site of frequent accidents.

She spent much of the morning and afternoon watching the action as officers waved some drivers on and ordered others to pull over. “It’s better than TV,” she said.

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