Matt Hartley and Paul Arguelles are ready to roll. These two Los Altos police officers and their new Kawasaki police-issue bikes are a first for the city: officers dedicated to traffic enforcement.
"Our council wants our town to have that reputation - don't speed. We're not out there to be storm troopers - but to make the streets safer," said Los Altos Police Capt. Cliff Balch.
And these two will, beginning Monday.
They will work as a tag-team. When one stops a driver, the other will use a hand-held laser radar gun, Balch said.
Their first assignment will be to focus on early-morning commuter issues.
"We'll be working in the neighborhoods, by the schools," Arguelles said. "Not the main thoroughfares, but cut-throughs." Both parents and students are guilty of cutting through neighborhoods, Arguelles said.
Traffic enforcement duties will claim half their time. For the other half, they will be focusing on unlicensed or suspended-license drivers and vehicle impounds.
Funding for the two officers comes from the state's Office of Traffic Safety for vehicle impound and traffic safety.
The speed limit around town on most residential streets is 25 mph. And that's pretty slow. So some may be in for a shock in the coming weeks.
There will be a two-week educational phase, Balch said, with more of an "informational" approach, using warnings and citations. "We'll do a lot of publicity."
But then watch out. The police are braced for some negative reaction.
"The council has said they'll take the heat," Balch said. He expects that over time the goodwill from rigorous enforcement "will outweigh the negative."
During 1998 a city task force studied traffic issues. Its recommendation: four police officers dedicated to traffic enforcement. This grant is a start, funding two. The council has approved a third traffic officer and motorcycle, who should be on the streets sometime late spring.
For Hartley, "This is a lifelong dream. I never thought we'd have them (motorcycles for traffic enforcement). They're a great asset to the community."