A passenger in a brown sedan stuck her arm out the window with a dollar in hand, waving over a street musician to take the money. The musician crossed two lanes of traffic to get it.
Darryl Richardson said he did not know he was breaking the law by stepping off the corner of Northeast Highway 99 and Northeast 78th Street to accept the donation.
“I don’t want people who help me out to have any problems, so I probably won’t do that again,” Richardson said, referring to the possibility he could have been struck by vehicles approaching the stoplight.
Clark County sheriff’s Sgt. Alex Schoening let Richardson off with a warning. It was one of several interactions between Schoening, and mostly drivers, over a couple hours Wednesday afternoon, during a grant-funded patrol emphasis on pedestrian safety.
Local law enforcement hit the roads with extra patrols focused on the issue of pedestrian safety. Their efforts are part of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission’s Target Zero program, the state’s strategy for eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2030.
Ten units of local officers, deputies and troopers patrolled and handed out tickets to motorists who violated pedestrian safety and traffic laws.
The data-driven enforcements are in response to a high number of pedestrian deaths and crashes involving serious injuries in Clark County, according to Target Zero.
Last year in Clark County, there were 26 fatal and suspected injury crashes involving a pedestrian — eight were fatalities. This was an increase from 16 fatal and suspected injury crashes involving a pedestrian in 2017, which included seven fatalities, according to the program’s data.
The Battle Ground, La Center, Ridgefield, Vancouver and Washougal police departments, Clark County Sheriff’s Office and Washington State Patrol all participated in Wednesday’s targeted enforcement, paid for with funds awarded by the traffic safety commission.
Schoening drove up and down Highway 99 between Northeast 63rd and Northeast 119th streets — an area with at least 10 crosswalks, densely packed business properties and heavy foot traffic. The strip tends to be a major problem spot for car crashes involving pedestrians, according to the sergeant.
“We have people jaywalking all the time. The problem is largely the pedestrians,” he said.
Schoening said people sometimes get irritated when they realize they’re being reprimanded for crossing the street illegally.
“I tell them what they’re doing is not safe. They’re the ones dying out here,” Schoening said. “I don’t like doing death notifications.”
Not all crashes are the fault of walkers and bicyclists, though. Drivers who ignore people in rights of way and inattentively cruise down streets also are to blame, Schoening said.
Officers have discretion in whether they choose to ticket a driver during the pedestrian emphasis. If a person deserves a citation, officers should do so as a way to change driving behaviors. But Schoening said the campaign serves to educate the public, as well.
The extra patrols are nothing new. Vancouver police spokeswoman Kim Kapp said officers have most recently focused on the Fourth Plain Boulevard corridor and downtown Vancouver. On Wednesday, they were out with their county colleagues in the Hazel Dell area.
Near the pumps at Hazel Dell Car Wash and Fuel, Schoening leaned down to speak with Carmine Tatman. He explained what she did wrong by flagging Richardson into the roadway.
“I didn’t know that,” she said. “I was trying to help out. I’ve been homeless, too. It makes sense though. I don’t want to put people in danger. I won’t do that again.”
