West Jordan police set up pedestrian safety sting


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WEST JORDAN —West Jordan police made 42 stops and gave 38 citations as they participated in a countywide "pedestrian education enforcement" operation in front of Heartland Elementary School Saturday, said West Jordan Officer Scott List.

A civilian volunteer and a plain clothes officer with body cameras and police radios called out cars that failed to yield to them to nearby West Jordan patrol units as they crossed the road over and over in the cold and snow Saturday morning.

Volunteer Brady Nunnelley, 18, of West Jordan said he decided to participate to help make drivers aware of the importance of yielding to pedestrians.

"It's their right-of-way," Nunnelley said. "If you don't (yield) driving a car, you're going to put them in the hospital."

A police van with blankets over the windows also videotaped the events at the crosswalk.

West Jordan police said the event had two objectives: to raise pedestrian safety awareness and identify inattentive drivers.

"There's a lot of high-density housing and it's high density for traffic," List said of the area. "This school zone is where we have the most kids cross."

(Photo: Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
(Photo: Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)

List ultimately hopes to change bad driving behaviors — like distracted driving and failing to yield to pedestrians — and said citations were most effective in doing that.

List said that pedestrian safety requires attention by both pedestrians and motorists.

They made one jaywalking stop; the officer issued only a warning.

"The biggest thing we see is people being in a hurry," List said. "Either pedestrians not wanting to take the time to go to a crosswalk or motorists not wanting to be inconvenienced by a pedestrian."

List said that distracted driving makes driving more dangerous for pedestrians."

"It can wait," List said of cell phone use in the car. "If it's that important, pull over. It's not worth taking a life or getting hurt."

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