Court Sting Targeted Unlicensed Drivers

Lompoc - January 9th, 2008

On Wednesday January 9, 2008 the Lompoc Police Department placed a police officer in the Lompoc Superior Court watching for unlicensed drivers.  This officer targeted people who were in the court to see the Judge for either not having a license or driving while their license was suspended.

If the Judge told the person they were still not allowed to drive, the person was followed out of the court and watched by the officer until they were away from the general area.  If the person entered a vehicle and drove away they were immediately stopped by an undercover police car and arrested.   

The purpose of the operation is for locating people driving with no license or on a suspended license.  In Lompoc, unlike other cities who do not have their own jail, people found to be driving while not licensed can expect to be arrested and their cars either impounded for a 30 day hold or forfeited, depending on the circumstances.  When a person is unlicensed it’s for a reason, i.e., inability to drive safely, DUI, excess tickets, accidents, or medical issues.  These people also don’t have insurance, so if they are involved in a traffic accident, the other driver usually suffers the financial burden.  

 Performing proactive enforcement sends a message to the driving public that we care about their safety, we want to get these unlicensed drivers off our streets.  The Lompoc Police Department is committed to driver safety and will enforce license and DUI laws with every tool available including stakeouts, saturation patrols, and checkpoints.   This portion of our aggressive license and DUI enforcement operation is being conducted through a grant.  Funding for the grant comes from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  If you have any questions, please contact Sgt. Ed Lardner.      

3 Arrest made:            Driving unlicensed, no insurance, and with false registration tabs

                                                        Driving unlicensed and no insurance

                                                        Driving on a suspended license and no insurance