DLLAJ can ticket traffic offenders

City Land Transportation and Traffic Control Agency (DLLAJ) officials who are on duty in the street are allowed to ticket drivers of public vehicles, taxis and delivery vans who commit traffic infractions, a police officer says.

"These DLLAJ officials have the authority to do so provided that, before being submitted to court, the dossiers must be accompanied by letters of recommendation signed by traffic police officers," Col. Soeroso, chief of the city's traffic directorate, was quoted as saying by Antara here yesterday.

Speaking to reporters and accompanied by the city's DLLAJ chief, J.P. Sepang, Soeroso said the police officers who signed letters of recommendation should be well informed of the contents of the dossiers to be submitted to court.

This clarification has put to rest the long-standing controversy over whether DLLAJ officers are also allowed to ticket traffic violators, a task which many previously believed was the sole prerogative of traffic police on street patrol.

Previously DLLAJ officers were only allowed to identify violators and hand over their information to police, who would then issue red-colored tickets.

But Soeroso stressed that DLLAJ officers are in no way allowed to issue tickets for drivers of private cars. "They have no authority whatsoever to ticket drivers of privately owned cars. It is exclusively the task of police." (bas)