MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- After writing more than 4,000 tickets in four months - 25 percent more than all of last year - the Provost Marshal's Office is asking base motorists to help keep up the pressure on violators among them.
With fewer cops on the beat than in the first four months of this year, PMO says extra eyes out are especially welcome. Anyone on base, from privates to general officers to civilians, can file a report with PMO if they witness a traffic violation.
"I encourage Marines to step up and stop these traffic violations from becoming a potential hazard to themselves or others around them," said Gunnery Sgt. Donald J. Zerillo, PMO's traffic division chief.
PMO was especially busy reining in violators over the first four months of this year - writing 4,090 citations between January and April. PMO wrote about 3,000 tickets for all of 2004.
Zerillo attributed the surge in citations to stepped up radar enforcement and more drunken-driving checkpoints this year.
Strict enforcement is not about harassing motorists, said Master Sgt. John J. Darlak, staff noncommissioned officer-in-charge of the Base Safety Center.
"The ultimate goal is that when traffic stops are being conducted, another safety violator is identified and a potential hazard is prevented," he said.
The flurry of citations reflects base officials' focus on the "fatal four" - drunken driving, speeding, not wearing seat belts and driving while fatigued, Darlak said.
PMO also is aggressively targeting drivers who use cell phones without hands-free devices.
"The rules are clear - no drinking and driving, no speeding, wear seat belts and drive responsibly," Darlak said. "If the rules are broken, there are consequences."
For example, PMO has handed out an average of 37 seat belt citations per month this year - even though only seven were issued in April, according to statistics provided by PMO.
"Now that the number of military police have gone down, due to recent deployments and other needs, I encourage Marines to take the initiative to help enforce the rules," Zerillo said.
Witnesses filling out violation reports should include a license plate number. Both the violator and the witness will have to show up at traffic court.
The base traffic court issues "points," or demerits, for each offense committed while driving on base. Drivers who amass more than 12 points within 12 months lose their base driving privilege for a year.
Automatic suspensions also will be leveled for extreme violations.
Anyone caught driving 21 mph over the speed limit will lose their driving privilege for three months. The suspension is six months for 31 mph or more over the speed limit.
Suspended drivers will have their decals removed and will have to re-register their car when the suspension lapses, said 1st Lt. Kent A. Robbins Jr., civil processing officer and traffic hearing officer with the Base Military Magistrate Office.
"Now it becomes an inconvenience for them and their unit," Robbins said.
Besides writing more tickets, PMO is exercising increased vigilance at base points of entry. The approach includes 100 percent identification checks after 10 p.m. every day and random vehicle inspections.
It's all part of a plan to create the most combat-ready base in the Marine Corps - with "zero mishaps" the ultimate goal, Darlak said.
"The base safety center is attempting to ensure a safe working environment for both military and civilians," Darlak said.
The plan also includes education.
The Base Safety Center conducts driver improvement and remedial driving courses; motorcycle safety courses for both beginners and experienced operators; and safety training for all units on base.
"It is a fact that Marines are dying because they are putting themselves at risk," Zerillo said. "The safety personnel in each command have to get involved with making sure their Marines are aware of the possible safety hazards out there."
E-mail Lance Cpl. Carrasco at miguel.carrasco@usmc.mil.