Traffic tickets drop to four-year low in Sonoma County

The number of traffic tickets issued in Sonoma County dropped last year by about 18 percent to the lowest level in at least four years.

A total of 61,500 tickets were handed out by city police, CHP officers and sheriff's deputies for violations including speeding and failing to stop at a red light.

That's down from the previous year, when 76,200 tickets were issued, and 2011, when police handed out 73,000 tickets. In 2010, officers wrote 80,000 tickets.

Judge Lawrence Ornell, the county's traffic court judge, said the numbers include infractions such as walking a dog without a leash or drinking in the park.

But he said it was clear that drivers were getting fewer citations.

"Obviously, the numbers are way down," Ornell said Wednesday. "There are fewer people coming to court and fewer cases being set for trial."

Law enforcement chiefs had previously said the trend was the result of staff reductions that are cutting the number of officers on the streets.