ABC7 News reporter Luz Pena interviewed the SFPD lieutenant who dresses up in a chicken costume to cross the street and if drivers don't stop, an officer is right behind ready to ticket them.
As cars are going 40 to 50 miles an hour through a busy intersection in San Francisco's Ingleside neighborhood, Lieutenant Jonathan Ozol wears a chicken costume to promote traffic awareness.
The chicken costume is a decoy. Watching behind him are three police officers ready to ticket anyone who doesn't stop while he crosses the crosswalk.
"First, it was difficult thinking about a police lieutenant - we do serious work. I'm going to dress up in a chicken outfit," said Lieutenant Ozol.
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This operation started six months ago. The first costume was a big bird one, followed by another chicken, even a unicorn worn by another officer and now, the latest chicken costume with colorful feathers. All of this with a goal in mind.
"To get people to slow down and be nice to each other - we all have to get somewhere," said Lieutenant Ozol.
The one behind this strategy Captain Amy Hurwitz.
"We really had to think out of the box. We were having fatalities from people who were crossing the street in the crosswalk, and they were being hit by cars and killed," said Captain Hurwitz.
According to city data, every year about 30 people lose their lives and at least 500 more are severely injured while traveling on San Francisco streets.
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So far, in 2024 there have been 23 traffic fatalities; 18 were pedestrians and according to Walk San Francisco, the majority were on a crosswalk.
We witnessed a car go through the crosswalk while San Francisco resident Anne Willborn crossed the street with her dog.
"It happens a lot here," said Willborn. "If you are not aggressive, people will never stop. Sometimes I step out into the street a little bit. Trying to make eye contact with the driver, but yeah - cars just go right pass."
The driver who didn't yield to Willborn was stopped by officers. And despite the bright suit, it also happened to Lieutenant Ozol several times while we were there.
"Surprisingly, some people say they don't see him. A lot of people say they do see him, but they are mistaken about the rules," said SFPD officer, Chris Hardy.
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Residents in the area are thankful, but also want permanent solutions.
"It's really difficult to cross this intersection here because they don't stop. They stop when the police are here," said San Francisco resident, Doug Betten.
Lieutenant Ozol said he often answers the question: Why did the chicken cross the road? His answer: "To get to the other side safely and to do it for traffic safety."
Lieutenant Ozol is doing this on his days off. Their data shows they ticket anywhere between 20-30 people per operation each ticket can cost about $300.
Captain Hurwitz said other neighborhoods want the chicken strategy implemented there, too.
"We have been getting emails, a lot of emails from people who live in the Ingleside District, and they are asking us to come to their neighborhood - to come to their street," said Captain Hurwitz.