Park City police conducted over 6,000 traffic stops in 2023, a 63% increase compared to the year before, according to the department’s recently published annual report.
Traffic citations totaled over 4,100, which is a 65% increase compared to the prior year.
Park City Police Lt. Jay Randall said the uptick is largely due to a new officer on the department’s traffic patrol.
“You’re also seeing a little bit more of an increase on [state Route] 224, to the reduction of the speed limits there to 45 [mph],” Randall said. “We’ve done some extra focus there to try to slow people down so that we can have less wildlife put in dangerous situations and motorists as well.”
Randall said overall, traffic stops are a mixed bag of offenses.
“There’s not necessarily any one that’s really standing out right now,” he said. “It’s pretty commonplace to have stop sign violations or stop light violations. Speeding is always a little bit of an issue, mainly because it’s not so much our residents as it is a lot of folks from out of town who are excited to be here, they’re doing the things they want to do and they’re here on vacation. And so maybe not paying as close attention to the speed limit signs as they should.”
He said the increase in traffic offenses can also be attributed to more vehicle inspections at construction sites and at the brake check on upper Marsac Avenue.
“Some of those stops could yield as many as five or six or 10 violations,” Randall said.
The department saw a nearly 10% decrease year-over-year in major crimes, which includes theft, assault and fraud.
