BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- On Tuesday, the Bakersfield Police Department Traffic Enforcement Detail with the assistance of the Kern County Sheriff’s Department conducted an Unlicensed Driver “Court Sting” at the Bakersfield Traffic Court.

The purpose of the operation was to apprehend those individuals, who after appearing in traffic court, drove away without a valid driver’s license.

It should be noted that all of these individuals were unlicensed when they arrived at court.

Their license status, when stopped by police, was not as a result of today’s court appearance.

As a result of this enforcement operation, 16 vehicles were impounded. 16 drivers were cited and released for being an unlicensed driver. An additional driver was cited for allowing an unlicensed driver to drive their vehicle.

In this instance, the unlicensed driver and licensed driver tried to switch places when officers stopped them.

The goal of this operation was to bring those individuals who drive without a valid driver’s license into compliance with the law and to reduce the number of collisions in our community involving unlicensed drivers.

Funding for this event was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The public is encouraged to help keep roadways safe by calling 911 if they see a suspected impaired driver.