Traffic Crashes Down In La Quinta; Traffic Tickets Up

Hundreds of thousands of people visit the valley every year to enjoy the valley weather and big-name events.

La Quinta police say that’s not going to stop them from writing traffic tickets.

Recently residents and visitors criticized the city’s police department for traffic enforcement during large-scale events like the Bob Hope Classic golf tournament.

According to the officers, people tell them the traffic stops give the city a bad image.

But, Corporal Don Olson disagrees.

“We’re out there for them. We want to make the streets as safe as possible. We don’t want to see any collisions occur. So, when we are out there we’re slowing people down and making the streets safe,” said Olson.

La Quinta police issued more than 4,000 traffic tickets and investigated more than 300 car crashes, last year.

Olson said the numbers don’t lie. Over the past five years, as the number of tickets went up, the number of crashes went down.

“People make mistakes, but it’s a minor mistake,” he said. “If we can correct that by writing you a citation, bring you back to following the rules of the road, then hopefully, we’re saving someone’s life.”