Crossing guard: Police conduct pedestrian safety sting
[Note: Rumor has it that Baltimore is doing similar stings.]
Missoula police officers ramped up their enforcement of pedestrian safety laws from zero to zealous on Thursday during a 90-minute plainclothes sting operation on East Broadway.
A fleet of four motorcycle officers idled nearby as bipedal officer Annie Nordby, in off-duty attire, crossed East Broadway and Adams Street - an intersection marked by a painted crosswalk but with no cautionary light.
One by one, as motorists blew by Nordby, the motorcycle officers zipped into action, chasing after any disobedient drivers who failed to yield.
When the pedestrian safety operation was over, police had issued 14 citations for failing to yield to pedestrians, which could cost drivers up to $100, depending on a Municipal Court judge's decree. Police also gave six warnings and 14 additional citations for infractions such as no insurance or expired registration.