Sergeant J. Carlos Escudero directs traffic during the Fall Welcome Ceremony on Tuesday. The ASU Police Department is introducing a task force to control traffic issues near ASU’s Tempe and Polytechnic campuses. (Photo by Sam Rosenbaum)The Tempe and ASU Police Departments have partnered to form an awareness campaign in an effort to inform new students about traffic safety and alcohol laws.
ASU Police Department Assistant Chief James Hardina said police officers are introducing a DUI task force in conjunction with the Tempe Police Department.
“The main purpose of this system is to educate,” Hardina said. “Many students are out of state and new to Tempe.”
Officers will issue warnings for violations during the first few days of school, but will become stricter as the chaos that’s involved with move-in subsides.
This is the first official task force police have created to prevent the citations students statistically receive most often, according to ASU Police.
Hardina mentioned the three major concerns involving traffic safety are bikers riding on the wrong side of the road, jaywalking and not following traffic signals.
Psychology sophomore Ariel Peters was hit by a car last year while riding her bike on Rural Road. Peters was biking through an intersection when a car made a right turn and didn’t see her approaching.
“It could have happened anywhere,” she said. “These traffic laws will help both pedestrians and drivers to be more cautious at all intersections.”
Traffic safety on all four campuses will be watched carefully, especially the intersections at University Drive and College Avenue, Apache Boulevard and College Avenue and Apache Boulevard and McAllister Avenue and along Paseo del Saber.
Police officers are continuing to watch out for underage drinking on the Tempe campus, but this year offers an expansion of the program to the Polytechnic and Downtown campuses.
At the Downtown campus, much of the focus will be light rail safety rules, like not jaywalking and following traffic signals. The task force is focusing on preventing speeding at the Polytechnic campus.
Interdisciplinary studies senior Michelle McCrea said the stricter traffic enforcement and harsher rules against underage drinking is a good thing for the campus.
“Many people don’t realize it’s a problem to go out, drink and then drive,” McCrea said.
The alcohol task force, consisting of undercover and uniformed police, will also carefully watch residence halls and student apartments, such as The Vue on Apache, the first few weekends of school.
“We are here to set the tone the first three weeks of school that alcohol and underage drinking are not tolerated,” Hardina said.
Reach the reporter at mkthomp5@asu.edu
