Correction: An earlier version of this article misidentified the name of the Saturation Traffic Enforcement Program, or STEP.

If there ever was a day that drivers should slow down and mind their traffic manners in Stockton, it’s this Tuesday.

Not only will the Stockton Police Department be patrolling the streets with its own traffic officers that day, but six other agencies will be joining as well. They will be looking for careless or errant drivers.

More than 20 officers from across the region will participate in what is being termed the Saturation Traffic Enforcement Program, or STEP, patrolling from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., Stockton police announced in a Facebook post. Traffic enforcement units from Lodi, Tracy, Ripon, Manteca, the California Highway Patrol and San Joaquin County will also be part of the patrols. 

Police say the goal is to reduce crashes and injuries with a high-visibility campaign that will hammer home the department’s message that drivers shouldn’t speed and should be both watchful and careful behind the wheel.

The crackdown could have a dual effect: Besides any offending drivers who are ticketed, those who see their fellow motorists being pulled over may become more cognizant of their own driving habits.

Enforcement will be focused on vehicle code violations that frequently cause traffic collisions along Stockton roadways, the department said in a release. Officers will be on the lookout for speeding, right-of-way violations, impaired driving, unsafe turns, running stop signs and hands-on cellphone use.

The efforts are part of a $518,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety to support the Stockton Police Department’s traffic enforcement program. The grant, funded through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, runs through September 2025.

“By increasing enforcement of traffic laws and focusing on high-risk areas, we aim to reduce dangerous driving behaviors, prevent crashes and make our roads safer for everyone,” police Chief Stanley McFadden said in a release.