On Thursday, San Francisco Police Department officials stated that they are making progress in their efforts to combat illegal driving throughout the city.
Nicole Jones, the traffic commander for the San Francisco Police Department, told CBS News Bay Area, “We’ve definitely made an upward trend, but we still have a lot of work to do.”
At Thursday’s Traffic Enforcement and Street Safety meeting at City Hall, Jones gave a presentation on the most recent figures.
By the end of October of this year, the agency had issued about 13,000 tickets, a significant increase from the little over 5,000 citations it had given during the entire previous year.
“I believe we were rather forthright about our strengths. We were quite transparent about our shortcomings, and I believe the department is fully committed to ensuring that traffic safety and enforcement remain top priorities going forward,” Jones stated.
But compared to the over 130,000 fines San Francisco Police issued a decade ago, it’s a huge difference. Citations have been dropping since 2014, but the epidemic in 2020 caused a significant decline.
“The department’s enforcement levels before the pandemic, let alone ten years ago, are still far, far, far lower. The San Francisco District 8 Supervisor, Rafael Mandelman, told CBS News Bay Area, “I’m worried because we don’t really have a clear plan or notion for how we’re going to get anywhere close to those levels of enforcement.”
Mandelman requested that police provide an update on their strategies for improving street safety. Although the numbers are positive, he noted, improvement in staffing is necessary before change can occur.
This year, the department has 43 traffic officers, down from 77 in 2014.
The second thing we heard was that issuing tickets now takes a lot longer than it did in 2014 due to changes in state legislature. Writing a ticket and a citation might have taken five minutes back then. Because it may take up to 20 minutes to complete the data reporting that is now required. According to Mandelman, this has two effects: it reduces the effectiveness of the cops enforcing traffic laws and deters them from devoting their limited time to that specific task.
With the uptick in citations this year, SFPD says injury collisions are down compared to last year. Nonetheless, there have been more road fatalities this year. According to officials, 34 people have died in 31 crashes so far this year.
Joey Medeiros of pedestrian advocacy groupWalk San Franciscosaid the progress with traffic citations is a step forward, but the city has a long way to go to meet its Vision Zero goal set 10 years ago.
It’s a component of the puzzle. Enforcement doesn’t do everything, therefore this isn’t a panacea. The architecture of our city roadways must prioritize safety over speed. Additionally, drivers must understand that they must abide by the law, Medeiros stated.
Police stated that they are eager for speed cameras to be installed in various parts of the city. Buying motorcycle radar is another of their objectives.
Mandelman advised Jones to have the agency’s police chief come to their next meeting scheduled in the spring of next year.
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Eliot Pierce is a dedicated writer for ChiefsFocus.com, covering local crime and finance news. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, Eliot aims to provide his readers with clear and insightful analysis, helping them navigate the complexities of their financial lives while staying informed about important local events. His commitment to delivering accurate and engaging content makes him a valuable resource for the community.