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Austin motorcycle officers are required to interact with at least 12 people every day

The new standard came after officials found that while some motorcycle officers were actively patrolling, others were scarcely pulling people over.

AUSTIN, Texas — If you drive in Austin, your chance of getting stopped by one of the city's 50 motorcycle police officers has gone up dramatically. 

This spring, Austin police issued a new rule that motorcycle officers must interact with at least a dozen people daily. 

The new standard came after officials found that while some motorcycle officers were actively patrolling, others were scarcely pulling people over.

Assistant Police Chief Justin Newsom said the directive, for which officers had to sign an agreement earlier this year, is not a quota for the number of citations officers must issue. Instead, it's meant to ensure officers are engaging with the public and educating drivers on why they should obey speed limits and other traffic laws.

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Data obtained by KVUE and the Austin American-Statesman shows that while the number of stops have gone up, officers are more frequently writing warnings rather than tickets. 

From March through May, for instance, they stopped 14,391 drivers but issued 2,239 tickets. Everyone else got a warning.

During the same period last year, motorcycle officers made 4,961 stops. 

“We hope that by being out there and making traffic stops when people violate the law, that it will be a deterrent,” Newsom said.

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