PONTIAC, Mich. – The Oakland County sheriff has ordered an increase in patrols in “hot spots” and “danger locations” in Pontiac in response to a rash of crashes involving pedestrians.
The patrols will saturate areas where car crashes involving pedestrians are most likely to happen, according to Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.
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The goal of the increased patrols is to encourage people to use crosswalks and teach them about the dangers of crossing the street in unsafe areas.
Here’s what to know about the increased patrols:
Where will Oakland County deputies be on patrol in Pontiac?
The areas where increased patrols will be conducted include the following:
- Huron and Saginaw
- Baldwin and Montcalm
- Walton and Perry
- Auburn and Martin Luther King Boulevard
What to expect during the increased patrols?
During the enhanced patrols, deputies will be issuing written warnings to pedestrians. Deputies on patrol will also step up traffic enforcement targeting speeding and reckless driving.
Why is the Oakland County sheriff stepping up patrols in these areas?
This comes as Pontiac has seen an increase in crashes involving pedestrian deaths or serious injuries.
“There have been far too many serious pedestrian accidents in Pontiac,” Bouchard said in a release. “These saturation patrols are intended to reduce the behavior that has caused them. For the pedestrians, we are not looking to write formal tickets, but to change street crossing habits. For those that are driving recklessly, carelessly and dangerously, they will be receiving citations.”
So far in 2025, there have been seven hit-and-run crashes that caused a serious injury or death.
Two crashes, one on Aug. 5 and another on July 3, happened on Baldwin Avenue within blocks of each other, and both resulted in deaths, according to the sheriff’s office.
In both of those crashes, the driver failed to stop and fled the area.
Between Jan. 1, 2023, and Sept. 2, 2025, there have been 70 crashes involving pedestrians.
Seven of those crashes resulted in deaths, and 19 caused serious injuries.
Five of the seven fatalities happened in 2025, according to the sheriff’s office.