Pittsburg Police Issue Dozens of Traffic Tickets in School Zone

It's back to school for thousands of kids, and police in one Contra Costa County city are going the extra mile to make sure their trip is safe.

Pittsburg police have issued more than 100 tickets in school zones since classes started last week.

As kids return to school, police and parents agree drivers aren’t being careful enough in school zones and are putting children in danger.

Joseph Terry of the Pittsburg Police Department said officers have seen "people speeding and talking on phones and people just blatantly driving through crosswalks while children are in them."

That’s why police are cracking down. They’ve been out in force since school started last week, issuing dozens of citations.

"Every year, there’s always a couple of instances of a student injured by a car," Pittsburg High Principal Todd Whitmire said. "Sometimes it’s the students' fault, sometimes the fault of the vehicle. But, I can tell you a high percentage of the cases it could have been avoided."

On Tuesday afternoon, police cited drivers for running a red light, making illegal turns and speeding, all in a school zone.

Parents said the crackdown is badly needed.

"It frustrates me because there’s no courteousness in the world when you can’t stop for a kid to cross the street," Daniel Chenoweth said. "What’s the hurry? Slow down; there’s other people’s lives involved."

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