New numbers show Yakima Police emphasis patrols are slowing down drivers in Yakima.  Capt. Jay Seely says each week officers concentrate on a specific area of the city and they've been busy. Recent information from the Yakima Police Department shows the stops, cites and warnings from the week of March 24-28. During that time Seely says officers made 189 stops of vehicles. The officers issued 141 warnings and issued 79 citations for numerous driving offenses. The officers focused efforts on specific areas of the city. The officers worked Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. between 1st Street and 8th Street, Lincoln Ave from 6th Ave to 16th Ave and 16th Avenue from Tieton to Fruitvale. Police aren't saying where they are operating this week but they say they'll be out in force again looking for problem areas and trying to make them safer.
Police continue to get lots of help in finding the problem areas of the city through social media after the department in February started a new program. People let them know problem areas through social media. Seely says police continue to receive hundreds of responses of people hoping for better traffic control.
Authorities say there are two main reasons for the high number of collisions, inattention to what other drivers are doing and following too close to other vehicles.
Department officials urge people to check out the Yakima Police Department Facebook and Twitter pages and list concerns about a roadway, neighborhood or area where more police are needed to help create a safer situation.

 

 

 

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