72 Traffic Citations Issued In 1 Day Near Santa Cruz City Schools

SANTA CRUZ, CA — With the first day of school starting this week in the City of Santa Cruz, motorcycle cops from around the area joined the Santa Cruz Police Department in a crackdown to help keep students safe — and in the process handed out more than 70 citations in one day.

The citations were issued Wednesday, the first day of school for students in the Santa Cruz City Schools District. The city crackdown yielded 72 citations for school zone violations along with pedestrian and bicycle violations on Ocean and Mission streets, according to the SCPD.

The operation was conducted in conjunction with the California Highway Patrol, Watsonville Police Department, and the Capitola Police Department. It was part of a B.A.D.G.E.S. detail, which stands for "Before Aggressive Driving Gets Everyone Stopped."

The operation focused on what the SCPD called "top collision-causing violations," including:

1. Cars and bicyclists not yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks
2. Cars and bicyclists not stopping at red lights and stop signs
3. Distracted driving