Putting a STOPP to traffic violations in Monterey County

Marina police have been proactive in pulling over traffic violators primarily to help prevent DUI fatalities of unlicensed drivers as well as raising awareness of speeding and distracted driving during the Monterey Regional Strategic Traffic Operations and Prevention Program.

Marina Police Traffic Bureau Supervisor Sergeant Eddie Anderson said STOPP was in operation today to promote better motorist safety and to decrease the number of collisions.

A central focus of the program centered on primary collision factors in commuter routes through Monterey Peninsula cities.

Sergeant Anderson said the program started in Marina many years ago. “We’re the one remaining policy agency with a full-time traffic unit. We were given a grant from the Californian Office of Traffic Safety,” Sergeant Anderson said.

“Other agencies don’t have a full-time traffic unit so every month as a team we go to different agencies in Salinas, Seaside, Greenfield, Monterey, Pacific Grove and Carmel together with the CHP to target any violations that cause collisions,” he said.

In California, 20% of DUI incidents that cause fatalities are caused by unlicensed drivers. We don’t weigh our success by the amount of tickets we cite drivers with but rather we judge our success on our ability to encourage people to do the right thing

As a result of this special enforcement detail, 40 citations were issued. Most of the citations issued were for speeding and use of a cell phone while driving. One driver was issued a citation for traveling 70 MPH in a 40 MPH speed zone.