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Manteca PD looking out for unsafe drivers today
STEP
As many as 20 motorcycle officers will be blanketing Manteca’s streets on Thursday as part of a Saturation Traffic Enforcement Program – also known as a S.T.E.P. operation. From 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., motor officers from across San Joaquin County will be enforcing traffic laws on Manteca’s roadways and searching for unsafe drivers unnecessarily put others at risk when they climb behind the wheel. MANTECA POLICE DEPARTMENT/Courtesy photo

You may want to think twice before forgetting to put on your seat belt or rolling through that stop sign this week.

According to the Manteca Police Department, the city will be blanketed with officers on motorcycles today as part of a rotating program to promote safe driving throughout San Joaquin County – giving motor officers from Tracy, Ripon, Lodi, Stockton, and the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office the chance to enforce the vehicle code and send a message that irresponsible driving will not be tolerated.

Known as the Saturation Traffic Enforcement Program – abbreviated at STEP. – the exercise will feature approximately 20 motorcycle officers who will be working in Manteca today from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Officers will be searching for drivers operating their vehicles at unsafe speeds, committing right-of-way infractions, unsafe turning movements, and stop sign violations, and using their cellular phone while behind the wheel. Identifying impaired drivers will also be a focal point of the operation.

“Everyone can help in making Manteca’s streets safer,” the Manteca Police said in a statement announcing the effort. “Slow down. Scan ahead. Don’t drink and drive. Put your cell phone down. Be aware of your surroundings. Report reckless driving.

“By exercising safe roadway habits, we as a community can greatly reduce injuries and deaths on Manteca roadways.”

It is not uncommon for STEP enforcements to result in an abundance of tickets being issued to motorists that are breaking the law – as was the case in Lathrop in 2019 when a similar operation resulted in more than 160 tickets being issued. That enforcement, which was not announced in advance, generated significant conversation on social media when residents did not recognize the decals on many of the traffic units that were posted around the community.

As per the program, Manteca motorcycle officers will periodically join the efforts in other communities throughout San Joaquin County – helping serve as a force multiplier that allows local agencies to address ongoing issues in the community and show the public that traffic laws will be enforced.

 

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.