Further Study of Motorcycle Squad Planned

A proposal to more than double the number of motorcycle police officers in order to crack down on traffic violators in Los Angeles was kept alive Monday despite a city report that said it may not be cost-effective.

The council’s Public Safety Committee rejected a proposal to shelve the plan, calling instead for more study to determine whether the city can find a way to add as many as 270 officers to the LAPD’s squad of 257 motorcycle officers.

“Enforcement is what we need. We have seen more and more violations,” said Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski, the panel’s chairwoman. “Bar none, it’s the number one concern that I get when I go out to my constituents in any community--help us with traffic.”

Councilman Hal Bernson of Granada Hills proposed that the city add 90 motorcycle officers each year for three years to address concerns about traffic violations in the San Fernando Valley and other parts of the city.

Bernson proposed the major expansion after the city Transportation Department reported that traffic accidents have increased 4% from 1997 to 1999.

By the third year, when the expansion of the squad would be complete, the increased cost would be $23.4 million annually, although the 270 additional officers might generate only about $8.4 million in revenue from traffic tickets if they write the average of six tickets per day, city administrative analyst Jerry Greenwalt warned the council panel. If the officers write 16 tickets each per day, they would generate $22.2 million annually.

“Vehicular safety is a great concern to everyone,” he said. “We believe the motorcycle officers may not be the best way to proceed with it, that the four-wheeled vehicle may be as efficient or more efficient than two-wheel.”

Miscikowski said she wants the new study of the issue to look beyond how much the expansion might cost.

“We have to look at this not just from a monetary standpoint,” she said.

The same committee also received a report on efforts to increase pedestrian safety, including the installation of more fluorescent green signs and flashing warning lights at busy crosswalks.

City transportation officials said a survey found that without flashing lights at crosswalks, 40% of the motorists do not yield to pedestrians who step into a crosswalk.