What else is new, this has been going on for 30 yrs
Corruption in Law Enforcement is the norm not the exception. Hide behind a badge and show your shiny new gun. Wow ...thats what I call authority!

You're right. It is a scam. Cops do it to fill their weekly or monthly quota of ticketing people and getting easy money. It's a lazy way of bringing funds to the city.

I've been nearly run down in a cross-walk. I would like to thank the police for enforcing the laws.

Yes the cops should wait till someone is killed.

A scam? Why is enforcing the law a scam? I don't get it.

Since the police can't be everywhere always they must choose a place to enforce the law. That can't catch every speeder in every school zone. But they can run a speed trap at one school zone on one day. Then they hope that the folks going through the school zone learn to obey the law.

Similarly with crosswalks. If a pedestrian is in the crosswalk (I think on your side of the street) you must stop. The police can't watch every crosswalk all the time but they can enforce the law at one crosswalk. Then they hope for more maturity than you exhibit when they hope that people learn to stop at the crosswalk.

I don't really have any problem with it except that these cops could probably have spent their time in more useful ways. I don't see these actions as being too different from cops posing as minors willing to meet sex offenders and then nab them in a sting operation. The only difference is the degree.

The pedestrian-crossing law is an important one. Failing to yield for pedestrians is a safety problem, and I applaud any efforts to raise people's sensibilities about it, including the fake pedestrian ploy. These people did violate the law.

Unfortunately more of this happens than anyone knows. According to the constitution, speed traps are unconstitutional, as it presumes guilt without due process and involves surveillance without reasonable suspicion. Yet it happens all the time, and it does NOTHING to get people to obey the law. It is about the money and quotas.

The worst part is setting my cruise control on 65 (to save gas mostly as much as I can) and then watching cop after cop (lots of WVC cops) drive by at between 75 and 80, donut and coffee in hand, on their way to work, where they no doubt will pull over several people today for speeding.

Hypocrisy at its finest.

We have drivers who do not understand that the LAW requires them to yield to the pedestrian in a crosswalk.

I've come close to being hit a lot of times. I've stopped for pedestrians only to have a car blow by me, nay, a LOT of cars blow by me almost killing the pedestrian. It is the opinion of most drivers that they have the right of way. At least a few of you should NOW know better...

There have been MANY pedestrians killed lately and it is becoming the norm now for these idiot drivers to then take off leaving the victim to die.

Get real folks, these Cops are doing these stings at the behest of us others who want them there.

Get a life dude. Don't take some one elses.

I am glad to see this happening. I am not a huge fan of law enforcment, but I dont drive a car I walk or bike everywhere. That means that I have to dodge cars all the time. Any effort to instill respect and awareness in drivers for other folks on the road I applaud and appreciate.

re:chad (...it presumes guilt without due process and involves surveillance without reasonable suspicion...)

It's not really surveillance without reasonable suspicion if they're observing a specific intersection, not knowing who is going to drive by. You might have a case to make that claim if they were picking one car and following them wherever they go until they make a mistake. However, in this case, the cops are observing the crosswalk, not a specific person.

They did this in Logan several months ago on a main road at an intersection where it was very common for cars to hit or almost hit pedestrians. They announced in the newspapers and on the radio that they were going to do it. Then, they had a plain clothes cop walk back and forth with about 4 cop cars to get the violators. They flagged down violators faster than they could write tickets or warnings for them, even having announced in advance that they were going to stake out the intersection. I thought it was a good education moment to get people thinking about paying attention to the crosswalks.

This story doesn't mention whether they announced the plan ahead of time like Logan did.

What's so despicable about police officers enforcing the law? That's what we, as citizens, expect them to do. Being a pedestrian can be dangerous when people either don't know or don't care that you have the right of way at crosswalks. I applaud these officers and hope that they continue to make their city safer.

When I was living in Utah, I was constantly suspicious of anyone in a car on State Street if I had to cross in a crosswalk.

Since being in a car makes you semi-anonymous, then the only way this suspicion will be lessened is if the majority of drivers collectively change the way they drive around town.

If you're driving, assume that the pedestrian thinks you might run him down, because it's happened too many times before. Then act accordingly.

Did you know that in most police departments that court time is not scheduled into the regularly forty hours work week? Only patrol time. So if you contest any charges and the officer has to appear in court, he is more then likely working overtime, but you aren’t making a dime. Sorry to say the system is stacked against you. It is easier just pay your fine and smile.

what about pedestrian responsibility? I have had to slam my breaks because someone has darted in front of me not using a cross walk more times than I have seen a car not yield for a pedestrian when they are crossing at an appropriate place.