Motorists in and around Manteca might want to drive with a bit of added caution when they are about town today.

If not, there’s a good chance that the nearly two dozen motorcycle officers that will be blanketing the town will be willing to provide a written lesson about doing so in the form of a ticket.

From 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. today, as many as 20 motorcycle officers from participating agencies around San Joaquin County will be patrolling Manteca’s streets as part of a comprehensive Saturation Traffic Enforcement Program.

While patrol officers are often tasked with conducting traffic enforcement in addition to their regular duties, all of the officers participating in the STEP enforcement will be focusing solely on traffic issues – unsafe speeds, unsafe turning movements, impaired driving, stop sign violations, and hands-on cell phone use just to name a few.

Individual agencies such as Manteca can often apply for grants to fund specialized enforcement efforts – a Federal grant administered from the California Office of Traffic Safety often funds DUI saturation patrols and checkpoints, for example – but the STEP program doesn’t require additional investment on behalf of the participants.

By dedicating resources to the combined effort, cities are eligible to have the group visit their community for targeted enforcement – often time blanketing the city in a way that couldn’t be done without outside assistance. Cities in the past have focused on issues of concern that law enforcement has noticed, or members of the community have been specifically requesting.

Traffic enforcement units from Tracy, Ripon, Lodi, Stockton, and San Joaquin County are expected to participate in the program today as part of a coordinated effort to cut down on the number of vehicle collisions and instances of unsafe driving on public roadways.

To contact Bulletin reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.