Wichita State police will begin issuing traffic tickets Wednesday.

There are nine traffic violations WSU police can issue tickets for. Fines range from $45 to $75.

1. Wrong direction on a one-way ($75)
2. Running a stop sign ($75)
3. Improper U-turn ($75)
4. Improper turn ($75)
5. Failure to yield to pedestrians ($45)
6. Driving on the sidewalk ($45)
7. Failure to signal a turn ($45)
8. Driving without headlights ($45)
9. Obstructed windshield ($45)

Until this week, university police would only enforce traffic rules by issuing district court tickets, according to Interim University Police Chief Robert Hinshaw. Hinshaw said the process was time-consuming and a drain on the county’s resources.

A university news release said it was custom for WSU police to offer verbal warnings to drivers “without any real consequences for their bad driving habits.”

Speeding tickets still cannot be issued by WSU police and have to go through the district court, Hinshaw said.

“Because of a number of complaints and a near fatal accident in 2016, it has become necessary to change driving behaviors,” the news release stated. Hinshaw said the accident refers to an incident last year in which a professor was almost ran over by a vehicle.

In 2016, WSU police made 375 traffic stops. 12 of them resulted in traffic charges through the district court.

In 2017, up until September, WSU police made 224 traffic stops. 13 of them resulted in traffic charges through the district court.

WSU police tickets are only issued to people affiliated with the university. Those not affiliated with the university will be issued district court tickets, Hinshaw said.

Tickets issued to WSU students, faculty, and staff can be appealed through the Traffic Appeals Committee, headed by Carolyn Shaw, president of the faculty senate.

Hinshaw, who served as Sedgwick County sheriff from 2008 to 2012, serves as interim WSU police chief after Sara Morris retired from the position late September.

“Some may feel we’re trying to generate revenue and that’s absolutely not the case,” Hinshaw said. “It’s not like anybody’s making any money off of this.

“The idea is to encourage good driving behavior.”

Fines collected by UPD for university citations will go into WSU’s general fund.