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You’ve been warned: Traffic enforcement blitz set for Thursday
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A Manteca Police officer issues a ticket for a moving violation.

Nearly two dozen motorcycle officers will be blanketing Manteca’s city streets on Thursday as part of a multi-jurisdictional effort to promote safe driving practices.

Known as the Saturation Traffic Enforcement Program (S.T.E.P.), the effort will include Manteca police officers as well as representatives from Tracy, Ripon, Lathrop, Lodi, and the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office – all of whom will deploy motorcycle traffic officers between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 18, to try and reduce vehicle collisions and unsafe driving practices.

“Everyone can help in making Manteca’s streets safer,” the Manteca Police released in a statement announcing the effort on Tuesday. “Slow down, scan ahead, don’t drink and drive, put your cell phone down, be aware of your surroundings and report reckless driving.”

The enforcement action will focus on vehicle code violations that are typically found to be the reason for collisions on Manteca’s roadways – including unsafe speed, right-of-way violations, unsafe turning movements, stop sign violations and hands-on cell phone use.

By targeting a specific city and blanketing it with traffic officers enforcing the vehicle code and then rotating when necessary, the multi-jurisdictional effort ensures that every city that participates in San Joaquin County can prioritize safe driving even if they don’t have a robust number of motorcycle traffic officers.

Communities throughout San Joaquin County have been trying to come up with ways to not only increase driver awareness about safe driving practices, but also groups that flaunt traffic laws by participating in things like impromptu sideshows and performing burnouts at intersections that can jeopardize the safety of other motorists on the road.

In Lathrop, for example, the city has approved installing signs warning motorists that participating in such activities carries steep legal and financial fines – including having vehicles impounded for up to 30 days at the expense of the driver.

In October of last year Manteca Police relied on the assistance of other jurisdictions to blanket a sideshow in the parking lot of the Grocery Outlet on E. Yosemite Ave. and issue 60 citations to drivers that were operated their vehicles unsafely.

It’s not uncommon for S.T.E.P. enforcements to result in a large number of tickets being issued to motorists that are breaking the law – such was the case in Lathrop in 2019 when a similar action resulted in more than 160 tickets being issued. That enforcement, which was not announced in advance, generated significant conversation on social media when residents did not recognize the decals on many of the traffic officers that were posted around the community.

“By exercising safe roadway habits, together as a community we can greatly reduce injuries and deaths on Manteca roadways,” the Manteca Police announcement of the traffic enforcement action said.

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