July 16, 2010
By: Bruce Berry
Public safety officials are expanding their use of a federally funded program that cracks down on motorists who break crosswalk laws and put pedestrians in danger.
The federally funded program, known as Cops in Crosswalks, uses undercover officers to pose as pedestrians using crosswalks. If a motorist breaks the law and does not stop for the pedestrian, officers waiting a short distance away will pull them over and ticket them.
The New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety recently announced that it is distributing $8,000 in grants to 13 police departments statewide this summer to help them conduct the program. The division added that in that state alone, there have been more than 150 deaths and 6,000 injuries involving pedestrians being struck by passing vehicles.
Various media outlets across the country have noted Sacramento and Chicago as being among other cities that have participated in this program.
Elsewhere, a report from KCBY-TV in Oregon quoted one local police officer as saying that the initiative is also useful because it gives officers a chance to catch other violations such as failure to carry auto insurance or driving with a suspended license.
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