Petaluma Motorcycle Crackdown - 51 Traffic Tickets Issued
On November 14, 2011, the Petaluma Police Department ran an all day traffic enforcement targeting motorcycle safety. In the end 51 traffic tickets were issued but only one to a motorcyclist.
Among the citations issued by the Petaluma Police Officers were tickets for speeding, cellphone use, illegal U-turns, passing over double yellow lines, running red lights and a pedestrian obstructing traffic. In addition, officers made two arrests, one for drunk driving and one for possession of a controlled substance. The driver arrested for drug possession had been stopped for a cellphone violation and officers allegedly smelled marijuana before conducting a further investigation.
The 4th Amendment to the United States Constitution protects us all from unreasonable and warrantless searches and seizures. That protection extends to traffic stops. Police in California can stop a vehicle based on a reasonable belief that a vehicle code violation has occurred and traffic stops are routinely initiated for lighting and mechanical violations as well as for speeding, cell phone usage, illegal turning movements and failure to stop. For an officer to conduct a search of a person or her vehicle without a warrant there must be probable cause to believe a crime has been committed or the officer must have received valid consent from the driver prior to conducting the search.
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