SOUTH PASADENA -- A sting conducted by the South Pasadena Police Department Wednesday to bust people who don't stop for school buses flashing their red lights nabbed 160 people. But almost as soon as the citations were issued, police requested that they be dismissed.
Pasadena police used a decoy school bus with adult passengers walking on and off the bus while its red lights were flashing. Traffic laws say drivers may not pass a school bus with its red lights flashing when it is "stopped for the purpose of loading or unloading any schoolchildren."
Police set up the sting operation after receiving a complaint from the parents of a disabled child who boards a school bus on Huntington Drive, according to Police Chief Dan Watson.
The operation had some people in Pasadena up in arms, however. They claimed the location used were unusual for a school bus to be stopping, that officers created a distraction and that there weren't any schoolchildren actually present.
One person who was ticketed at the location on Huntington near Milan Avenue said she was confused when she approached the decoy bus and saw more than a dozen officers on the street. She thought something was going on, and that she and other motorists were being directed around the bus.
Milan Avenue is a busy six-lane road with no stop sign or cross walk.
After meeting with the city attorney Thursday morning, police apparently decided to dismiss the citations.
The tickets issued start at $150, but with added penalties can range up to $1000. Police Captain Richard Kowaltschuk said the operation "didn't meet the requirements for this code."
Still, many in Pasadena said they supported the effort to crack down on drivers who don't stop for school buses. They said people need to learn to follow the rules and slow down.
Police say the sting was not designed to generate revenue for the city, and that the large number of tickets given out is an indication that people aren't aware they have to stop for school buses or are simply not paying attention.
Pasadena police used a decoy school bus with adult passengers walking on and off the bus while its red lights were flashing. Traffic laws say drivers may not pass a school bus with its red lights flashing when it is "stopped for the purpose of loading or unloading any schoolchildren."
Police set up the sting operation after receiving a complaint from the parents of a disabled child who boards a school bus on Huntington Drive, according to Police Chief Dan Watson.
The operation had some people in Pasadena up in arms, however. They claimed the location used were unusual for a school bus to be stopping, that officers created a distraction and that there weren't any schoolchildren actually present.
One person who was ticketed at the location on Huntington near Milan Avenue said she was confused when she approached the decoy bus and saw more than a dozen officers on the street. She thought something was going on, and that she and other motorists were being directed around the bus.
Milan Avenue is a busy six-lane road with no stop sign or cross walk.
After meeting with the city attorney Thursday morning, police apparently decided to dismiss the citations.
The tickets issued start at $150, but with added penalties can range up to $1000. Police Captain Richard Kowaltschuk said the operation "didn't meet the requirements for this code."
Still, many in Pasadena said they supported the effort to crack down on drivers who don't stop for school buses. They said people need to learn to follow the rules and slow down.
Police say the sting was not designed to generate revenue for the city, and that the large number of tickets given out is an indication that people aren't aware they have to stop for school buses or are simply not paying attention.
