Salinas police looking for drivers behaving badly in school zones

Kids are returning back to school Wednesday morning after summer break.Typically, this time of year can be pretty chaotic around schools as parents try to navigate drop off schedules and bus routes. Salinas Police Officers will be out in school zones making sure everything is running smoothly, and people are obeying the laws. The area by Palma and Washington Middle School in South Salinas sees the worst traffic congestion related to school being back in session. Another area is over by Everett Alvarez High school and Steinbeck Elementary School. According to SPD that’s an area where people typically drive too fast. Each year the Salinas Police Department gets calls asking for additional patrols in school zones, the first day of school is no different, police will be out there. “We have some grant funded overtime for traffic enforcement, and those officers we are going to have them go to schools as often as we can. It’s not nearly as much as we would like, but those officers are encouraged to write tickets. So if you get pulled over don’t expect a warning, expect a citation. Follow the law please,” said Salinas Sergeant Gerry Ross. Sergeant Ross said one of the most dangerous things parents can do is park illegally to drop their kids off.