Out of 454 people that were stopped in Manteca on Thursday as part of the multi-jurisdictional Saturation Traffic Enforcement Program, 417 of them went home with a citation.

With the assistance of law enforcement agencies from throughout San Joaquin County, the Manteca Police Department’s traffic unit helped disperse a force of nearly two dozen motorcycle officers to strategic locations to enforce the vehicle code and safe-driving practices – part of a rotating operation that helps provide agencies with temporary bursts of additional manpower to improve roadway safety for all drivers.

One person was arrested for possession of a firearm and hit-and-run, while 15 unlicensed drivers and 5 drivers with suspended licenses were also contacted.

“The goal of today’s STEP. operation was to identify unsafe driving that often leads to collisions involving injury or death and enforce those violations through citations and education,” the Manteca Police Department said in a release announcing the details of the operation. “A reduction in collisions saves lives and prevents injuries.”

When the Manteca Police Department announced on social media earlier this week that they would be hosting a STEP operation, residents began clogging the comment section with requests for specific streets in Manteca that they felt needed extra attention. Most of the comments were appreciative in nature, while some contended that the effort would do nothing and simply an attempt to generate revenue.

While officers are always searching for people breaking the vehicle code and driving in an unsafe manner, the sheer number of officers dedicated to traffic enforcement during the operation increases the likelihood significantly that that operating outside of the law will be caught and cited.

Additional STEP operations are planned for later this year in other parts of San Joaquin County. 

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