Chicken Decoy Helps Police Nail 31 Drivers In Lake Elsinore

One would think drivers might yield to a person crossing the street wearing a bright yellow chicken suit.

Apparently, not everyone in Lake Elsinore pays attention to pedestrians -- loud outfit or otherwise.

A member of the Lake Elsinore Police Department dressed up as a chicken Thursday as part of a law enforcement crackdown aimed at drivers who don't yield to pedestrians in crosswalks.

The department conducted the crosswalk enforcement operation at five different locations in the city; two spots were located in close proximity to Lake Elsinore schools. 

There have been numerous complaints from the community about unsafe drivers near local schools.

Lake Elsinore motor officers monitored crosswalks as the decoy walked through, explained the department's Sgt. Peter Giannakakos.

In total, officers ended up citing 31 drivers for failing to give way to a pedestrian in a crosswalk as well as one citation for speeding, the sergeant reported.

"Even though the decoy was wearing a bright yellow costume, most drivers stated they did not see him crossing the road," according to the report from Giannakakos.

Thursday's crackdown was widely publicized, and drivers were warned about the enforcement ahead of time. Click here to read an article that was posted Oct. 22 alerting residents to the traffic operation.