That is like ticketing a woman in a short skirt if a guy harasses her.

Ticket the drivers, who cut in front of pedestrians. Ticket the drivers, who exceed the speed limit. Ticket the drivers who lay on their horn when someone doesn't move out of their way. Ticket the drivers who sit in their cars in parking lots with the engine running to keep themselves cool (and the planet warm.)

There is only about 5 to 10 seconds of a “walk” cycle before the “Don’t Walk” starts flashing and if you miss the cycle the wait is normally a minuet or more. This is a lot of incentive to rush across the street as the “Don’t Walk” is starting to flash. With the count down shown one knows just how long they have to cross safely.

What is the law? I always thought that entering the intersection was OK as long the flashing light is still flashing and you can reach the other side of the street safely before it turns full red and cross traffic starts.

Come on LAPD is going after transit riders really what policing is all about?

I see both sides of the argument. Personal opinion is if they make it across before the light changes, they shouldn't be ticketed. If they start before the red hand signal begins blinking but don't make it across in time, they shouldn't be ticketed.

If a pedestrian starts across the intersection after the red light starts to flash, they get a ticket. The lights have countdown timers, so even if they get across before the light changes, and they are not obstructing traffic, they still get a ticket.

I have heard conflicting stories on the legality of the pedestrian maneuver, so don't know the answer. If anyone is willing to look up the relevant ordinances, it should be on the City of LA website.

The problem with vehicle violations is that this Court has gotten stingy with allowing traffic school after a trial by dec or physical appearance. So generally I recommend first time moving violators to take traffic school and challenge the second ticket, which is unmaskable (the notation that traffic school was completed appears, which means that it was the person's second ticket). Jaywalking is generally not a moving violation, but sometimes they write you up under running a red light (traffic control device), which is. However, that is clear overcharging and you should note that in a Trial by Declaration response. Also note that you are not obligated to write anything more on a Trial by Declaration than "not guilty". Don't unnecessarily perjure yourself. If you do that, and the officer doesn't turn in his paper, you win. If you lose because the officer turned something in, then do a trial de novo and see if they show up. If not, you win.

Do a trial by declaration first. Many times officers don't have the time to write a statement, especially for jaywalking offenses. Sometimes, judges will waive fines (like in Mayvis Coyle's case) if you are indigent or have a good story, so put that in the declaration as well as the facts of the case. If the trial by declaration fails, ask for a trial de novo and force the officer to appear in court. Request the officer's statement from the Court as it becomes a public record once it was filed. Remember that jaywalking is not a "points" offense on your driver's license, and that making the government prove your case guilty beyond a reasonable doubt is your constitutional right. So make it as hard as possible.

Also, check to make sure that the road is governed by traffic signals at all intersections. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2001/07/20/MN148388.DTL If the road intersects a public alley, use that as your challenge. It occasionally works. You would have thought that after the fiasco of Mayvis Coyle they would have done better, but they haven't.

i once talked to a bike cop at the van nuys station, what his ticketing regime was all about.

he simply waited on his bike, for people to jaywalk near the OL station.

he told me that as long as he keeps his "numbers up" (i.e. write lots of tickets), you get promoted and are considered a good cop.

they have an economic incentive to write tickets. they aren't doing it for safety, but because it makes them money.

Jodi Wakefield, Captain of, LAPD's Central Division
Her email address is: wakefield@lapd.lacity.org

I think that these pedestrian stings might have something to do with the mayor's office, and his quixotic "tiger team" mentality that sees moving automobiles as the be-all-end-all of transportation.

(1) Councilman X, how do you feel about the LAPD handing out $200 to $300 tickets to transit users in your district for not crossing the street in time?

(2) Police Commander of Bureau X, can you show us any safety or traffic improvement data that justify this pedestrian sting operation?

When you get answers to those questions, write it into a one-page .pdf file, stamp your letterhead on it with "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE", give it a sensational headline, and fax it to the local press.

Next week, ask a similar set of questions of the Councilman and LADP Bureau Chief. Extend coverage by sending someone down to photograph and interview people being ticketed, or who have just been ticketed.

Try and find people who are old, young, or in some way a unable to physically get across the street due to some sort of sympathy-iducing condition.

Try and see if someone can cross the street before the hand starts flashing. Compare that speed with Olympic runner's times for a similar distance. Include a graphic with this data in a follow-up article.

Etc., etc. etc.