Several drivers get caught in courthouse sting
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Several drivers learned a painful lesson last week: When you're told not to drive, don't.
The Fontana Police Department conducted a police sting on Sept. 14 at the Valley Municipal Courthouse in Fontana to catch drivers who were driving on a suspended or revoked license.
A total of eight tickets were issued, one of which included an arrest, and all of the violators had their vehicles impounded.
The sting was conducted as part of the Speed and Alcohol Violator Enforcement program (SAVE), and targeted DUI offenders because many of them are observed driving immediately after leaving the court and being ordered not to.
All unlicensed drivers were subject to a stop during the operation, regardless of the reason for their revocation or suspension.
"The whole idea is our traffic unit is trying to make the city streets safer for all the licensed, law abiding citizens," said Fontana police Sgt. Doug Wagner.
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Officer Brian Heaviside was one of six motorcycle cops who participated in the two-and-a-half hour sting. "If an unlicensed driver is ticketed for being unlicensed, it's a 30-day tow," he said.
That was the case for Eustacio Ocho Mondoza of Rialto. Inside the courthouse he had just been given a $374 fine for driving without a license, and then he got into a blue Toyota Camry and drove off.
Heaviside pulled Mondoza over on Alder Avenue, within a couple hundred yards of the courthouse, and found he had a prior citation for not having a license, so his car qualified for a 30-day impound.
Mondoza was not happy. "It's my daughter's boyfriend's car," he said. He admitted that he was in the country illegally and could not get a license.
The average price it costs to get a vehicle out of impound after 30 days is
$1,000.
Jose Lopez from Ontario watched his truck get towed away after he was issued a citation for driving with an expired license.
"He is technically unlicensed because it is expired," Officer Doug Locey said as he wrote the ticket.
"He has to go to the DMV and re-apply for a license. If it's questionable and he can't prove his citizenship, he won't get his license. He has to provide a valid license to get his truck out, or after 30 days it will go into lien sale," Locey said.
"I came here for a ticket," Lopez said. "My last ticket was for no license."
He said he has been a licensed driver for 11 years, but his license expired a year ago. "I need to check it out at the DMV," Lopez said.
Albert Lara of Ventura drove to court even though his license was suspended for not paying child support.
He said he had started making his child support payments, but he didn't know how long it would take for the system to be updated.
"People gotta drive," Lara said. "It's either I come to court or I get a warrant."
Lara was given a ticket and his car was towed.
The SAVE program was implemented by the Fontana P.D. to increase the number of DUI arrests and reduce the number of alcohol and speed related fatal and injury collisions.
According to the Office of Traffic Safety, unlicensed drivers are the most dangerous on the road.
The OTS also reports that individuals with licenses that have been revoked or suspended due to a DUI are the No. 2 reason for fatal collisions.
"Most of the traffic accidents that are investigated involve unlicensed drivers," said Heaviside.
(In the photo above, a car gets towed away during the sting operation. Photo by Shelli DeRobertis.)
BSRanch Perspective:
The sting was a success, if they got one unlicensed Driver they would have made a successful road block. There might need to be something done, the new Law that goes into effect in January 1st, 2007, that will require the Insurance company send a notice to the Department of Motor Vehicles, that you have cancelled your Insurance, which will make your license status instantly Suspended! This might be a good law, however this also might be a very bad law in one way. You decide to change your Insurance Policy to another Insurance company. Say for example the other insurance company had sent the insurance notice late to the Department of Motor Vehicles, suddenly you have insurance but your license is suspended not at anything that you have done! But for the stuff that the Insurance company has done, because they had sent the information late to the DMV.
So, what is the right answer, driving is a privilege, and it is one that needs to be upheld to the drivers that keep their nose clean. There is one thing that can and should be changed. It is hard to say who or what is driving around with out Insurance, and it is terrible if you are, and your license should be revoked and taken away!! but you should not be held responsible for the violations that the Insurance company does such as the mis-reporting that I have given with my example. I am not saying that this will happen, and more then likely there will be some victims that should not be held responsible for the problems that were given to them by their Insurance company.
Getting back to the Sting, this was something that was brought up to me several times by citizens as to why this doesn't get done, because they heard their case being heard, and they saw the defendant drive in and park in the court house. So, what they did was backed up and caught the repeat offenders that were driving in their cities, while taking care of the problem that they were there to take care of. I am sorry that they lost their truck, license and driving privileges for more then a year now! but that is what happens when you are caught driving without a license. or allowing your license to expire. I feel for these people I do, because I know how important a license is to people that don't have one. especially when you need one to get medications and the like or doctor visits and the like these doctor visits and that are not easy to do or make when they need to pick up groceries or medications for family members and the like. It is a very necessary piece of equipment that automobile.
BSRanch
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