The Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) completed a traffic operation on Dec. 10 aimed at preventing distracted driving, traffic violations and excessive engine noise. The Los Angeles Police Department, UCLA Police Department, Santa Monica Police Department and Burbank Police Department also participated in the operation, which resulted in 90 stops and 75 citations.
The Courier observed the operation first-hand, during an exclusive ride-along.
“We get tons of complaints: speeding, illegal U-turns, running stop signs, racing vehicles, all that kind of stuff,” BHPD Chief Mark Stainbrook told the Courier. “We want to send a message, at least on the West Side, that we’re not going to tolerate this kind of driving and behavior with these racing vehicles.”
Beverly Hills City Manager Nancy Hunt-Coffey personally thanked the officers from participating agencies for taking part in the operation. Those officers spread out around the city, stopping drivers for running red lights, clogging intersections and distracted driving. In total, 31 citations were issued for using a cellphone while driving, 12 for running a red light, seven for illegal u-turns, one for loud exhaust and others for impeding, making an unsafe left turn, having an expired registration and others.
“Anytime we do enforcement, we also talk about education,” Executive Officer Lt. Kevin Orth told the Courier. “So, when we bring other officers from other agencies, it just helps us to put out a bigger presence. If you’re driving down the street and see police stop people, most people check their speed, do that kind of thing. And the long-term goal is safety, of course, because accidents occur when people run stop signs, red lights or are speeding.”
To prevent excessive engine noise, a persistent problem in the city, Orth said the police department is obtaining decibel meters to measure when cars exceed set levels.
Photos by Sam Mulick
“We get quite a few complaints from people about loud cars, motorcycles, racing and exhaust,” he said. “So, if we know there’s a problem in a certain area at a certain time, we’ll put an officer there, like what we’re doing over here in the business district. And then once we have the decibel meter, then we can show that there’s a violation.”
Orth added that the biggest problem he encounters with drivers is distracted driving and community members can protect themselves and others by putting their phone down and not driving aggressively if they are in a rush.
“When you’re in a rush, like you’re running late, or you’re distracted is when a lot of violations start to occur,” he said. “In those moments, you’re trying to get there, you’re trying to beat the light, or you’re trying to make this call, you come around the corner and then there’s a stop sign. Or maybe you’re unfamiliar with the area, you’re coming in for an important meeting, you’re already running late, you’re parking and the next thing you know, you’re in an accident. “So, I would say if you can limit being in a distracted space, the more, the better.”
BHPD Lt. Eugene Kim, the bureau commander of traffic, told the Courier the operation was a success in utilizing all the city’s resources to prevent traffic violations and keep residents safe.
“Overall, it looks like it’s been a very successful event,” Kim said. “It really shows the partnership with not just the community, but also all our allied agencies working on this together. We also brought together multiple divisions and bureaus within our police department, so our Real-Time Watch Center is providing overwatch and safety. We have our own dedicated dispatching system, so we’re really putting it all out for traffic enforcement.”
