Crime & Safety

Crime Briefs: Lots of Cops Patrolling This Weekend

Also, a shooting was reported in Watsonville on Friday afternoon.

Yes, you’re seeing more cops on the streets this weekend.

Memorial Day weekend is a “Maximum Enforcement Period” for the California Highway Patrol, meaning every available officer is out there doing overtime patrols to watch for drunken drivers, speeders, motorists talking on their cellphones and people who aren’t buckled up.

“As the public heads out to enjoy quality time with their family and friends this holiday weekend, we want them to have fun and be safe,” CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow said in a prepared statement. “When you get in the car, make the choice to buckle up and ensure your passengers are secured as well.”

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The extra enforcement started at 6 p.m. Friday and continues through Monday.

The CHP’s holiday enforcement effort coincides with the 2011 “Click It or Ticket” seat belt campaign, which continues nationwide through June 5.

Find out what's happening in Watsonvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

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A teenage boy armed with a revolver shot at another teen on Friday afternoon, reported.

The daytime attack happened in front of a home on the 400 block of Second Street around 5:20 p.m., according to police.

The 16-year-old target of the gunfire was washing his car when the other teen approached. They exchanged words, then the armed teenager shot at the other boy, police said.

A woman and a small child were also in the driveway at the time. No one was hit, police said.

The gunman, about 15-17 years old, fled.

Officers flooded the area looking for the gunman, but he was not found.

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The first statewide campaign against distracted driving in the nation was declared a success, the California Highway Patrol reported.

With more than 80 percent of agencies reporting, officers issued 52,664 citations to drivers for either handheld use of their cellphones or text messaging during April. More than 100 CHP offices and 280 local law enforcement agencies participated in the “zero tolerance” enforcements during the month of April.

The campaign also included the “It’s Not Worth It” public awareness campaign on radio and TV, as well as educational programs in schools.


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