Clarkstown Police to participate in “Operation: Safe Stop”

On Thursday, April 3, Clarkstown and Ramapo Police announced they will join law enforcement units statewide to crack down on the illegal passing of school buses, a practice which places young children at risk of serious harm.

Using marked and unmarked patrol vehicles, police will monitor buses on selected routes and stop motorists observed illegally passing the vehicles. As per state law, fines for first-time offenses are $250 to $400, include four points on the driver’s license and in serious cases are punishable by up to 30 days in jail.

During the 2013 Safe Stop on April 18, police statewide issued 98 tickets for illegal passing and 1,008 tickets for other moving violations. Police also netted 3 penal arrests, 13 arrests for aggressive unlicensed operation of a vehicle and one DWI arrest.

Funding for the Clarkstown and Ramapo Police was provided by a Police Traffic Services Grant. The program is coordinated on the state level by the NYS Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee with assistance from the state Education Department and a collection of transportation, education and law enforcement groups.