San Mateo County Authorities Issue 197 Citations During Crackdown

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — San Mateo County law enforcement made in excess of 215 stops and issued 197 citations as part of a planned traffic enforcement crackdown on Tuesday.

By far, the most write-ups were issued for cell phone violations, which accounted for 132 citations. There were 14 speeding tickets, 11 seat belt violations and nine instances of failure to obey a stop sign.

Police made two arrests — one on an outstanding warrant and the other for possession of controlled substances.

Twenty-three traffic officers from departments around the county participated under a program known as the San Mateo County Saturation Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP). Officers patrolled "known trouble spots" in San Carlos and North Fair Oaks on Tuesday to increase traffic safety and awareness, according to a news release.

The STEP program is a collaborative effort across the county's law enforcement agencies to reduce traffic accidents throughout the county, according to a news release.

This was the third scheduled STEP deployment in the county this year.

“The participating officers remained committed to making a high volume of traffic stops in this coordinated saturation effort, while maintaining the highest levels of community awareness and professionalism,” the San Mateo County Police Chiefs & Sheriff’s Association said in a statement. “The number of stops and citations during this most recent deployment reflect a sustained enthusiasm for this program and traffic safety on the Peninsula.”

Participating agencies in the program include: Atherton PD, Belmont PD, San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, California Highway Patrol, Colma PD, Brisbane PD, Burlingame PD, Daly City PD, East Palo Alto PD, Foster City PD, Hillsborough PD, Menlo Park PD, Pacifica PD, Redwood City PD, San Bruno PD, San Mateo PD, South San Francisco PD and San Mateo County Public Safety Communications.