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Council Directs Increased Traffic Enforcement, Requests More Motorcycle Officers
Summary
Council adopted planning and public safety reports and an amended minority recommendation asking the LAPD to assign additional motorcycle traffic officers as part of a multi‑pronged traffic safety plan.
The Los Angeles City Council voted May 9 to adopt Transportation and Public Safety Committee reports on intersection traffic safety and to add an amended minority recommendation requesting the Los Angeles Police Department increase motorcycle traffic enforcement in targeted locations in addition to enforcement by patrol cars.
Councilmember Burnson moved the minority recommendation and Councilmember Bernsen led floor negotiations to amend the language to make the proposal a request to LAPD rather than a directive; the council approved the package with the amendment by a 12‑0 vote.
Speakers at the hearing described widespread hazardous driving behavior at signalized intersections and in residential areas. Councilmember Burnson said motorists frequently run red lights and that motorcycle officers are more likely to issue traffic citations targeted at aggressive maneuvers. “If you go out there on the streets of Los Angeles, you better watch yourself,” Burnson said, citing speeding and rolling stops near schools.
Councilmember Wax and others supported the motion, describing the problem as part enforcement, part public education and part engineering. Councilmember Mzakowski emphasized that enforcement should be one element of a three‑pronged strategy — enforcement, education and engineering — and supported the amended language requesting the LAPD assign additional motorcycle officers in addition to utilizing four‑wheel patrol vehicles for focused traffic enforcement.
Los Angeles Police Department leadership told the council the department is focusing on traffic enforcement and will assign officers based on incident and traffic volume data. Chief Davis’s staff said patrol cars also will be used for traffic enforcement assignments and that the department was increasing resources where data showed the greatest need.
The council’s adopted package asks for a six‑month report back to review the effect of the increased enforcement and planned engineering changes at high‑collision intersections.
