Merced police are writing more traffic tickets than they did four years ago as part of a larger effort to deter reckless driving and dangerous collisions.
In 2025, Merced police issued 5,164 tickets — the highest amount in four years. Tickets nearly doubled from the previous year, when police issued 2,673 tickets.
An expanded traffic unit and more enforcement led the uptick in citations, Merced Police Chief Steven Stanfield said. The result: traffic collisions have trended downwards, police say.
In 2023, the traffic unit had two personnel total – including the sergeant. The department has since increased its staff to three officers and one sergeant.
A year prior, the department had decreased staffing levels, and the department focused on more targeted, safety-focused enforcement, according to city spokesperson Jennifer Flachman.
The traffic unit enforces traffic safety through citations, collision investigations and prevention, said Sgt. Jacob Fister, who leads the unit.
“It’s one of the most unique units, because we have other units who are strictly proactive, we have other units who are strictly investigative, but they cover the whole gamut of things,” Fister said.
Visibility plays a key role in preventing traffic collisions, he said. When people see officers on the road issuing citations, warnings, or having an educational conversation about road safety it reminds people to drive safer, he said.
What the data shows
Top traffic violations from 2023 to 2025 included stop sign violations and no evidence of current registration.
The total number of collisions has decreased from 2022 to 2025, according to police data. In 2022, police responded to 1,252 collisions that required reports, and 693 in 2025. This decrease includes collisions with or without injuries, and those that caused property damages.
Yet, traffic fatalities have remained constant. The city averaged 10 fatalities a year from fatal collisions and fatal hit-and-runs between 2022 and 2025. In 2024, the city counted the highest number of fatalities in a single year in this time period, at 13 fatalities.
The 40 fatalities occurred across the city of Merced — nearly half of which involved a pedestrian, according to police data.
Officers collect race and demographic data from the person’s driver’s license. This information is not used for traffic safety enforcement.
Latino drivers were slightly overrepresented in traffic tickets issuance between 2022 and 2025. Latinos represented 60.1% of the Merced population, but 64.6% of traffic tickets in 2025.
“The group with the highest number of citations generally reflects who is driving in our community and where we are focused on collision and safety concerns, not demographics,” city spokesperson Jennifer Flachman told The FOCUS.
The data on the police transparency portal for traffic tickets issued in 2025 continued to be updated at the time of publication.
New approaches to traffic enforcement
Traffic safety enforcement has changed in recent years, as officials pledged to decrease collisions and fatalities.
In April 2025, the city installed two red-light cameras at the intersection of R Street and West 16th Street. The cameras yielded nearly a thousand citations within six months.
Red-light camera citations are tabulated separately from traffic citations.
Stanfield is hoping to increase the number of red-light cameras in the coming months, once the department reviews top collision intersections.
