# Police set to sting at crosswalks



## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

Elaine Thompson, TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

WESTBORO (MA)-- Braking news from the police chief: Motorists must stop for pedestrians in crosswalks in this community or chance being fined $100.

Police Chief Alan R. Gordon said within the next few weeks, officers will conduct special surveillance at crosswalks, an undertaking that snared 150 motorists who failed to stop for a pedestrian in a crosswalk a few months ago. "When the weather gets nice, we'll be out at crosswalks again as part of our community policing," the chief said in a telephone interview yesterday. During a month-and-a-half surveillance last fall, a plainclothes officer would try to cross at a crosswalk while an officer in uniform watched from a distance. Any motorist who failed to stop for the undercover officer would be pulled over and ticketed.

"People would give excuses ... they didn't think they had enough time to stop, or they didn't see the person starting to cross the road," Chief Gordon said.

He said a few of the motorists were given warnings because their view of the pedestrian might have been blocked by a larger vehicle in front of them. He said he's not sure how many of the $100 fines were paid because those cited could make an appeal to the assistant clerk magistrate at Westboro District Court.

There have been a couple of accidents related to drivers not stopping for people in crosswalks, the chief said.

At a recent selectmen's meeting, Selectman Sue Abladian read the law of the road, which says that when traffic signals are not in place, drivers must yield to pedestrians.

"Motorists are discourteous," she said. "I don't know why we don't have more pedestrian accidents."

Ms. Abaladian recently stopped for a pedestrian in a crosswalk and the driver behind her became angry and blared his horn.

"We've had drivers who stopped and the driver behind them went around them," Chief Gordon said.

There is also a problem with pedestrians not using crosswalks, though no accidents have occurred as a result, the chief said.

He said people will park near a business they plan to visit and instead of walking a few yards to cross at a crosswalk, they cross where they are parked.

"That's just human nature. People are gong to take the easiest way," Chief Gordon said. Like most small communities, Westboro does not have a bylaw prohibiting jaywalking. "Some of the big cities have jaywalking laws. We have other things that are a lot more important. We'd rather target vehicles that fail to stop for the people in the crosswalks."

March 23, 2006
Copyright 2006 Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Inc.








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## Irish Wampanoag (Apr 6, 2003)

Wait until a selectman's son or daughter gets a ticket it will stop the operation crosswalk real fast!


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## K9Vinny (Sep 25, 2005)

kwflatbed said:


> During a month-and-a-half surveillance last fall, a plainclothes officer would try to cross at a crosswalk while an officer in uniform watched from a distance. Any motorist who failed to stop for the undercover officer would be pulled over and ticketed.


Holden P.D. did this very thing many years ago, had a plain clothes officer keep crossing the road, etc. The courts threw out all the tickets for entrapment.


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## MVS (Jul 2, 2003)

Somebody needs to send the Court a copy of the definition of "Entrapment". That's B.S.!


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## LA Copper (Feb 11, 2005)

Different departments out here do this type of "sting" all the time, especially around holidays. Several local departments even dress their officers up as Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny during the appropriate holidays. Imagine getting a ticket for not stopping for Santa Claus in a crosswalk!


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## Crvtte65 (May 19, 2002)

I did that this past summer in Wellfleet downtown. Most of mine were warnings however, those that didn't stop when children were crossing got the full fledged $200 fine. Don't tolerate endangering children.


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## Buford T (Feb 12, 2005)

Always a crowd pleaser... Take a number at the window for complaints...


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## LA Copper (Feb 11, 2005)

Buford T said:


> Always a crowd pleaser... Take a number at the window for complaints...


Who would be doing the complaining? At least this way it's safer for the public to have an officer walking in the crosswalk than allowing regular citizens to do it.

I've not heard of any problems regarding this type of strategy out here on the west coast. In fact, I've seen these types of "stings" on the TV news several times without criticizm by the newscasters (which isn't easy). I guess people see it differently from coast to coast.


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## sempergumby (Nov 14, 2003)

The left coast is way differant.


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## Nancy (Aug 25, 2005)

Yes, it is way different, and probably safer. In Los Angeles, when a pedestrian steps off the curb the cars stop. I moved to NJ a couple of years ago and I'm amazed at the way people drive here. You're lucky if cars coming around the corner stop for a pedestrian when the pedestrian has a green light. Forget about trying to cross at a crosswalk without a light!

And what's with this making left turns in front of oncoming traffic when a light turns green...


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## 94c (Oct 21, 2005)

Nancy said:


> And what's with this making left turns in front of oncoming traffic when a light turns green...


you mean women in big SUV's?:jestera:


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## Nancy (Aug 25, 2005)

Hey, watch the women driver comments! lol

Hmm, now that you mention it, often it is women in big SUVs with children in the car. I can't believe they cut off oncoming traffic with a child in the passenger seat.


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