SOMERVILLE, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) -- From one side of the street to the other, an undercover Somerville police officer walked back and forth as part of a crosswalk sting to catch drivers that fail to stop stop for pedestrians.
The sting was caught on video, and now it's gone viral. Pedestrians have the right of way in crosswalks; it's state law. If drivers don't stop, they could be looking at a $200 fine, plus a hit on car insurance.
In Somerville, theyâre cracking down, but some don't like that and are complaining via homemade video. You can see Somerville police trying to slow drivers down in a YouTube video posted online. One video shows a cop dressed in plainclothes getting cut off while on a crosswalk. A cruiser immediately goes after the driver. The person who made the video believes that officers are entrapping motorists.
Some residents agree, saying it's definitely entrapment.
âIt was planned out. The guy is not a police officer, you can't tell him from Joe Schmoe. But even if he was a pedestrian, you already have a cop standing by waiting,â one resident said.
But not everyone agrees.
âI would say it's just as fair as having police officers undercover, catching people for speeding. Itâs enforcing our laws and they are waiting to catch people in the act, otherwise, they wonât pay attention,â another resident said.
The Somerville Police chief said that he wasnât offended by the viral video.
âNo. We took it as complimentary. If you see it, you'll see people are not stopping for the pedestrian, they are actually speeding up, trying to go around him, or going across the crosswalk,â he said.
In fact, the police department has posted the video on their Facebook page.
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