66 Drivers Cited in Traffic Sting

A special traffic safety team cited 66 drivers and impounded 10 vehicles Wednesday morning during a three-hour sting operation near Arminta Street Elementary School, at an intersection that has a reputation for attracting speeders.

Los Angeles Police Sgt. Dale Turner of the Valley Traffic Division said radar trailers that clocked speeds didn’t prevent drivers from nearly running down a plainclothes officer who spent the morning walking back and forth in a crosswalk.

“We had some near-misses,” said Turner, a 29-year veteran. “Giving tickets was like shooting fish in a barrel.”

Even crossing guards at Strathern Street and Beck Avenue get little respect from many drivers, school and police officials said.

The operation was part of a City Council measure to stem reckless driving in the neighborhood. Councilman Alex Padilla drafted the motion after receiving a petition in December signed by more than 100 parents.

Some of the vehicles stopped between 7 and 10 a.m. were impounded after traffic police found drivers had suspended licenses or no licenses, Turner said. Others, the safety team supervisor said, had expired registrations.

A study by the Department of Transportation will determine the need for additional traffic safety measures, such as new signs, so-called “smart crosswalks” or a reduced speed limit, an aide to Padilla said.

Turner said that if his officers had followed the letter of the law instead of just going after the most flagrant offenders, nearly 100 citations would have been issued. Some motorists rushed past at 50 mph in the 25 mph zone; others swerved around cars that were stopped at the crosswalk, Turner said.

“You could measure some of the near-misses in inches,” he said.