Signal Hill : Police Give Out 70 Citations in Child Safety Seat Check

Some 3,100 drivers passing through Signal Hill last weekend went through a police checkpoint, but this one was different from the norm.

The checkpoint was aimed at catching parents who did not strap their youngsters into child safety seats. Six officers posted at Cherry Avenue and 28th Street gave out 70 citations in slightly over three hours Sunday afternoon, according to Police Chief Mike R. McCrary.

Police also arrested one man, who had four youngsters in his car, for drunk driving and child endangerment, McCrary said.

“We were shocked at the numbers,� McCrary said. “The officers said to me they could have issued 150 tickets, but we didn’t have enough officers and the cars were stacking up. We can’t do that. Next time, we’ll have more officers.�

The child safety checkpoint, the city’s first, was part of an effort by the Signal Hill Police Department to emphasize traffic enforcement, drunk-driving prevention and safety laws. The department recently received a $230,000 state grant to hire two police officers for the program, which includes the checkpoints, McCrary said.

The chief said he is planning to set up more checkpoints to catch violators of the child safety seat law, which mandates that children who are younger than 4 or weigh less than 40 pounds be strapped into safety seats.