The Hollister Police Department has issued 62 helmet law
citations since April, when it was revealed the city had issued
only 12 tickets in nearly a year-and-a-half. Police crack down on
helmet law.
The Hollister Police Department has issued 62 helmet law citations since April, when it was revealed the city had issued only 12 tickets in nearly a year-and-a-half.
Police Chief Jeff Miller on Wednesday said the hike in citations hasn’t been a coincidence. He has asked his officers to “step up” the enforcement, and they’ve responded, he said.
“We’ve put it out to the patrol officers, especially since summer is ending,” Miller said. “We’re going to see more kids on bikes. Traffic’s going to increase. We want to get the word out.”
Hollister adopted an ordinance in 2002 requiring minors riding anything on wheels to wear helmets. The state Legislature later enacted a similar law that took effect in January 2003. Kids get one warning from police before getting a $25 citation for every subsequent violation.
A Free Lance report April 22 revealed police had issued only 12 tickets in 16 months while kids had routinely been riding skateboards and bikes without protective gear.
Hollister City Councilman Robert Scattini, who blasted police in April for lacking enforcement, commended the department Wednesday for the increase in tickets.
“That’s a big improvement. I’m glad to hear that,” Scattini said.
Still, Scattini often drives by Skate Park, located within Veterans Memorial Park, and sees kids without helmets, he said.
He also realizes it’s impossible to stop all violators through police enforcement. And he plans to propose an ordinance to the council in the coming months to ban for one year repeat offenders from using Skate Park – which the city paid $317,000 to build.
“You can (force kids to wear helmets) if you have officers stationed there all day long, and that’s not going to happen,” Scattini said.
The Police Department in April cited its lean staff of patrol officers as a major reason for lacking helmet law enforcement.
Miller also had mentioned in April how kids at skate park would habitually escape patrol cars by scurrying out an exit, in the opposite direction, on Memorial Drive. Showing a strategic brand of enforcement, patrol cars on at least one occasion showed up in tandem – one blocking the exit before issuing a group of kids citations.
Miller plans to use much of a $120,000 grant from the state to increase traffic patrol, which he believes will further boost helmet law enforcement, he said. The money will go toward overtime of officers strictly assigned to watching out for speeders and other roadway lawbreakers.
Curtailing careless driving habits – including minors riding skateboards and bikes without protective gear – remains a high priority for the department, Miller said.
“We want people to get the message that we are very serious about this,” Miller said.
