LAPD Issues 159 Tickets In Pedestrian Safety Crackdown
An alarming increase in pedestrian deaths over the year spurred a crackdown by the LAPD Tuesday in North Hollywood. The operation is part of the Valley Division's "Pedestrian and Child Safety Campaign." According to the Daily News, the number of pedestrian fatalities rose 40 percent in North Hollywood alone. The sting was issued two days after a man died while jaywalking in North Hollywood, the latest in 14 pedestrian deaths in the past year. 
LAPD officers began the crackdown at the intersection of Victory Blvd and Satsuma Ave.
Police officers disguised themselves as pedestrians, targeting three unmarked crosswalks around North Hollywood and pulling over cars that failed to yield. Beginning at 7 a.m., 72 tickets were issued in a 90-minute period at Victory Boulevard and Satsuma Avenue. A total of 159 citations were issued during the crackdown.
According to the LAPD, the goals of the operation were "to improve pedestrian safety, to change dangerous pedestrian behaviors, to change dangerous driver behavior, to change dangerous behaviors near school(s) and to reduce injury(s), death, and property damage associated with pedestrian verses vehicle traffic collisions."
Some, however, believe that the effects of the crackdown will be short-lived.
"Unfortunately, it's only a temporary effect," Rafael Kosche, owner of Valley Martial Arts Supply told the Daily News. "People just fly like crazy. It's well intentioned, but (the officers) are endangering themselves to prove a point and I don't think that's the smartest thing in the world."
Officers also conducted the sting at two other intersections, with the total enforcement operation lasting for 4 hours.
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