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S.F. police report sharp rise in traffic citations, tie enforcement to Vision Zero
Summary
Police department told the commission citations rose sharply in 2014 and outlined a data-driven enforcement plan tied to Vision Zero, including back-to-school operations at identified high-risk schools and a commitment to publish collision summaries.
San Francisco police told the Police Commission on Aug. 13 that traffic citations have increased sharply as the department pursues a data-driven Vision Zero strategy.
At the chief's report and a follow-up traffic presentation, department leaders said second-quarter citations rose from 19,537 in 2013 to 32,868 in 2014, a 68 percent increase. Midyear totals reported were 66,965 citations in 2014 compared with 41,551 for the same period in 2013 — a jump the department characterized as a 61 percent year-over-year increase.
"We have become more of a traffic-oriented enforcement organization," the department representative said, citing a policy change directing trained officers who find fault at a collision to issue a citation. That policy change and expanded enforcement staffing, the presentation said, account for a large portion of the increase.
Commander and traffic-company leaders described a mix of enforcement strategies — decoy operations, LIDAR speed enforcement and saturation patrols — and noted partnerships with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, the Department of Public Health and the California Highway Patrol.
Captain Obrazier described staffing for the traffic company and administrative functions including collision investigations and the case-closure work that supports issuing citations. He reported that the Traffic Collision Investigations Unit had 75 cases assigned for the year-to-date period and that most had been closed or were under active review.
The department also announced an upcoming "back-to-school" enforcement operation to begin the following Monday. It said officers would staff at least eight San Francisco Unified School District schools identified as higher-priority sites because of prior pedestrian collisions; enforcement will focus on distracted driving, failure to yield to pedestrians, and speeding in 15-mph school zones.
Community partners at the hearing praised the shift. "The change in language from ‘accident’ to ‘collision’ and the emphasis on transparency and data is a big deal," Leah Sheyim, executive director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, said. "The numbers speak for themselves and we are seeing progress." Nicole Schneider of WOC San Francisco also praised the partnerships and emphasized the goal of saving lives.
The commission and department said they plan to make collision summaries public when investigations stabilize so the public can see problem corridors and behaviors. The department will return with further data updates in subsequent quarterly reports.
