Drivers Didn't Stop for the Giant Traffic Cone in the Crosswalk. It Was a Deputy

MODESTO, Calif., Oct. 28, 2026 — Stanislaus County sheriff's deputies went undercover last week to catch drivers who ignore crosswalks. The disguise was a giant orange traffic cone.

A deputy in a full cone costume stepped into marked crosswalks in Riverbank and Patterson, always leaving oncoming drivers plenty of room to stop, the Modesto Bee reported. Some drivers stopped. Others did not even slow down, and motorcycle deputies were waiting for them.

Over two days of enforcement, one in each city, deputies cited 67 drivers for pedestrian violations and made two DUI arrests, KMPH FOX26 reported.

The Sheriff's Office posted video of the operation. In one clip, a motor deputy asks a driver he pulled over, "You didn't see my partner in the big orange cone in the middle of the crosswalk?" The driver says he did but could not stop in time. "You had plenty of opportunity to stop and slow down, partner," the deputy answers.

The Sheriff's Office said the operations followed several crashes involving pedestrians in the county. Under California law, drivers must yield to pedestrians in crosswalks.

The timing was deliberate. Halloween and the end of daylight saving time bring more people walking in the dark. "We remind all drivers to remain alert, yield to pedestrians, obey posted speed limits, and never drive under the influence," the Sheriff's Office wrote.

The operation was paid for with a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.