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Program stops irresponsible drivers in La Verne

The Serious Traffic Offender Program (STOP), sponsored by the state of California Office of Traffic Safety and the city of La Verne, is a new program aiming to provide safer roads for California's drivers. Police Lt. Darryl Seube is in charge of the program at the La Verne Police Department. The department has already hired new officers. It also has begun to crack down on speeders, drivers with suspended licenses and those not wearing seatbelts or without insurance. / photo by Matt Wright
The Serious Traffic Offender Program (STOP), sponsored by the state of California Office of Traffic Safety and the city of La Verne, is a new program aiming to provide safer roads for California’s drivers. Police Lt. Darryl Seube is in charge of the program at the La Verne Police Department. The department has already hired new officers. It also has begun to crack down on speeders, drivers with suspended licenses and those not wearing seatbelts or without insurance. / photo by Matt Wright

by Crystal Apilado
Staff Writer

The city of La Verne police department has developed the Serious Traffic Offender Program (STOP) to decrease the number of traffic and driving under the influence (DUI) collisions, the number of speed limit offenders and the number of those driving with a suspended or revoked license.

According to Lt. Darryl Seube, out of the 1,400 arrests a year in La Verne, 30-40 percent of them are for suspended licenses, which is a misdemeanor. There are about 1,000 to 1,500 La Verne citizens driving with suspended licenses.

Some of the objectives that STOP is focused on are decreasing the number of DUI arrests and alcohol related collisions by increasing the number of DUI checkpoints.

The number of license and seat belt checkpoints will also be increased.

STOP also added two more motorcycle officers to the La Verne force, making a total of four, as well as a part-time officer who will ride a motorcycle.

“Motorcycles utilize as a traffic tool,” said Seube, who explained that motorcycle officers are more effective and can maneuver through congested traffic easier than a police car.

STOP started after equipment was purchased on March 1. The motorcycle officers put the program into effect April 2.

STOP was coordinated by Seube, who gathered his information and statistics from traffic agencies and the Office of Traffic Safety. He also used the STOP program in Petaluma, Calif. as a model. According to Seube, the La Verne STOP is a modified version of the Petaluma STOP.

The Office of Traffic Safety helped fund STOP. They paid for the cost of the equipment and will help pay for the program for the first year and a half. After that the city of La Verne will take over the total payment for STOP.

“Be more cautious to obey speed laws,” Seube said as a warning to University of La Verne students.

Officers said they will be cracking down harder on speed offenders.

STOP will still involve all facets of vehicle codes, such as unsafe passing and yielding to pedestrians.

According to Seube, the police department plans on performing a pedestrian sting at ULV in which they assign a person to cross the street in the crosswalk to see if the car will yield or not. If the car fails to yield, then a motorcycle officer will pull them over.

Crystal Apilado, Features Editor
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