WASHINGTON – We see people on foot darting in and out of traffic all over the area. But does anyone actually get in trouble for it?
Officers aren’t looking the other way when it comes to jaywalking in the District, according to D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier.
“We do a street smart campaign that’s focused on it every year so the officers are doing the enforcement.”
Lanier says the number of pedestrian violations like walking against a red light signal or walking to create a hazard has risen.
“We wrote about 400 pedestrian violation tickets last year,” she said. “So far this year, those numbers are up in just about every category – 40, 50, 60 percent.”
She says the increase in violations is the result of a combination of more brazen behavior and stepped-up enforcement.
But she tells WTOP’s “Ask the Chief” that their efforts are paying off.
“Our pedestrian fatalities are down.”
WTOP’s John Aaron contributed to this report.
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