Letter: Crosswalk sting was entrapment scheme

Re: “Police cite 29 in crosswalk sting,” Oct. 11. Not too long ago, I was driving on Glenoaks Boulevard when I came to a crosswalk but with no signal. There was a man standing on the curb as if to cross the street. I stopped and waited but he didn’t move. So I started up, slowly, and he stepped off the curb. I waited again and he stepped back up on the sidewalk and stood there. I started to move again and he did the same thing.

So I turned off the motor, got out of the car and said, “Are you going to cross the street or not?” I was pretty sure it was a sting. He just smiled and stepped away so I could continue down the street. As I went on about a block I saw two police officers on motorcycles, either of which who would have gladly written me a ticket if I hadn’t called their bluff.

That’s pretty crummy, to my mind. Does the city of Glendale really need to entrap its citizens in this fashion? Apparently 29 people got $280 tickets — a total of $8,120 — in about an hour. Maybe the city can now afford to fix at least one dangerous sidewalk with the profits after they pay the salaries of however many police they used for this sting.

I’m aware that too many pedestrians dressed in dark clothes cross the streets at night assuming they are easily seen by the drivers. I also know that a lot of people walk into the street while texting, assuming they will not be harmed. Maybe they should be cited too.

Sheila Farrell Murray
Glendale