Del City leaders consider higher fines, data and enforcement to curb neighborhood speeding and stop-sign violations
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Summary
Council, police and residents discussed raising minimum fines, alternative sentencing, data-driven enforcement and a traffic safety committee to reduce dangerous driving in Del City neighborhoods; no ordinance changes were adopted at the meeting.
Del City city leaders, police officials and residents held an extended discussion on June 12 about how to reduce neighborhood speeding and stop-sign violations. The session produced several staff requests and volunteer commitments but did not result in formal ordinance changes at that meeting.
Mayor Eason said the council's priority is neighborhood safety and that the most effective deterrent may be increasing fines: "The only thing I can do to these people that are habitually running stop signs and speeding in neighborhoods is get into their pocketbook," he said during the discussion. Council members and residents raised alternatives including increased enforcement presence, community service sentencing, and public education.
Chief Lloyd Berber (Del City Police Department) said the department will prepare comparative data showing how Del City’s fines compare to other metro jurisdictions and provide counts of citations by type and location. He noted the city’s current fines are low compared with other nearby agencies and said a report will be prepared for council review.
Residents suggested ideas ranging from income-based fines (citing examples from some European countries) to targeted time-of-day increases in school zones. Joshua Schultz, a resident, referenced House Bill 2259 (2023) as a statute that allows municipal courts to consider financial hardship in municipal-ticket cases; council members discussed that hardship relief can limit deterrence unless alternatives are adopted on the court or legislative side.
Council members and staff also discussed non-legislative steps: Bronte (a resident) volunteered to lead a traffic safety committee that would include neighborhood-watch members and officers to recommend signage, awareness campaigns and site-specific enforcement. The city also reported a forthcoming Oklahoma Highway Safety grant to fund overtime traffic enforcement; staff said the grant acceptance will be placed on a future council agenda and, if implemented, would provide officers for focused traffic enforcement starting in the fall.
No changes to fines or ordinance language were adopted at the meeting. Council members requested a study session and asked staff to return with citation counts, comparative fine charts, and options for minimum fines, time-of-day multipliers (for school hours), and alternative sentencing such as community service.
