Marysville students are back in the classroom for the new school year, and police are increasing enforcement around schools to help keep children safe.
KIRO 7 rode along with the Marysville Police Department (MPD) on Sept. 8 during its first school traffic emphasis of the school year, where officers focused on speeding and other violations in active school zones.
Officers monitored traffic near schools, watching for drivers who failed to follow traffic laws as students arrived for class. Sergeant David McKenna said the day marked the first full day all grades were back in session, making it an important day for enforcement efforts.
“We had roughly six officers that were out here,” McKenna said.
During the traffic emphasis, officers made 39 traffic stops and issued 30 infractions. Violations included speeding, blocking crosswalks, and drivers using cell phones behind the wheel.
The concerns are familiar to many residents. Bob Lindenhovius, who lives near a school, said he regularly sees drivers moving too fast in school areas.
“Every day, I walk my dog every day. It’s every day,” Lindenhovius said. “I think we just need to tell our fellow Washingtonians, slow down, take a deep breath, maybe go to Starbucks, get something first and wake up.”
School district leaders said the enforcement effort serves as an important reminder for drivers.
“The safety of our students takes priority, and so having officers out and about, just reminding community members to slow down when they pass schools, I think is important,” said Connor Krebbs, the Marysville School District’s director of facilities and security.
According to MPD, officers issued 300 traffic infractions and four criminal traffic infractions in school zones during the previous school year.
The department also reported issuing 103 citations from January 2026 through the end of the school year to drivers who violated school bus stop paddle laws. MPD said school zone and stop paddle violations have surpassed 2,700 since the start of its enforcement program.
Police say violations involving stopped school buses remain among the most dangerous traffic offenses they encounter.
MPD is reminding drivers that school-zone speed limits are active when flashing yellow lights indicate the zone is in effect.
Washington law automatically doubles speeding fines in school zones.
According to MPD, a standard $140 citation for driving 0 to 5 mph over the speed limit in a 40 mph or lower zone becomes a $280 citation in a school zone.
The department is also urging drivers to pay attention around school buses.
When yellow lights are flashing, drivers must slow down because the bus is preparing to stop. When red lights are flashing and the stop paddle is extended, drivers on a two-lane road must stop in both directions. On divided highways, only vehicles traveling in the same direction as the bus are required to stop.
McKenna said the goal of the enforcement effort is not to rush to issue tickets, but to keep students safe. He said the department focuses on education as well, but sometimes the tickets are necessary.
“We’re not in a hurry; we’re here to make sure everybody’s safe. So, we just need to slow down and make sure the kids are taken care of,” he said.
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