The La Verne Pedestrian Sting
While the LAPD regularly runs sting operations to crack down on prostitution and drug trafficking, La Verne police have their own worries. This week the LVPD are running a series of stings to catch drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians. This seems easy enough but let’s look at the rules and logistics behind a pedestrian sting.
- As with any sting, the main goal is to catch people committing a crime by means of deception, and embarrass the shit out of them over mass media. But failure to stop for a crossing pedestrian does not make the evening news. Strike one.
- Sting operations are supposed to be a secret. Announcing a sting in the local paper is counterproductive to running an efficient sting. We’re not off to a good start here.
- An officer will need to play the role of a potential victim. In a successful pedestrian sting, this may require bring run over by moving vehicles several times throughout the day. Any volunteers?
- It is against the law for officers to provoke the crime. This rules out haphazard sprinting through random intersections in hopes of getting blindsided.
- As COPS has taught us, when the bait is taken all hell must break loose: pealing police cars, blaring sirens, barking dogs, drawn pistols, handcuffs, what have you…
- If your city’s biggest concern is failure to yield, you’re in pretty good shape. Let it go.
