Morgan Hill Police and agencies that participated in a morning crackdown on traffic violations earlier this week issued nearly 200 tickets in a four-hour period, according to authorities.
During the special operation, which took place 7 to 11 a.m. April 26 in the city limits of Morgan Hill, officers wrote between 190 and 200 citations for various traffic violations, according to MHPD Cpl. Scott Silva. He said Thursday he is waiting for final numbers from a couple other participating agencies.
Officers from Campbell, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara County, Mountain View, Milpitas, San Jose, Santa Clara and Los Altos law enforcement agencies joined MPHD officers in the April 26 traffic enforcement crackdown. The aim of the operation was to “conduct a high-visibility traffic enforcement effort” in an effort to reduce pedestrian, bicycle and vehicle collisions, according to police.
Silva said most of the citations written to motorists during the special operation were for speeding. Other common violations cited included running stop signs, and failing to stop for a school bus stop sign.
Similar operations will take place monthly throughout the year in other communities, rotating through participating agencies, police said.
The April 26 effort in Morgan Hill was organized by Silva, MHPD Officer John Kuhlen, Officer Sergio Pires and Sgt. Troy Hoefling.
The operation was indeed highly visible as authorities planned. Comments of praise and complaint filled social media pages on the morning of April 26, as many residents left their homes to be almost immediately flooded with the sight of a blanket of police officers.
Some commenters were pleased to see the active enforcement, while others thought it was an overkill of misplaced public resources.
A Times reader who wanted to remain anonymous described the saturation of police as “harassment,” and said he had to “go through the gauntlet” of officers when he exited his neighborhood on the way to work April 26. He said his wife was pulled over and written up for going 5 mph over the speed limit.
“I had to go through three speed traps just getting out of Morgan Hill,” the reader said.
Distracted driving violations up in April
The month of April has been a busy one for MHPD, as the month has been declared by law enforcement agencies nationwide as Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
Morgan Hill officers have written almost 300 citations for distracted driving in April so far, Silva said. These violations primarily consist of drivers using their cell phones while driving.
