$5 million to combat illegal street racing
$5 million to combat illegal street racing
Traffic Safety Grants To Combat Illegal Street Racing
POSTED: 11:37 am PDT August 23, 2005
LOS ANGELES -- Police departments and other law enforcement agencies in Irwindale, Ontario and Riverside will share $1.2 million in local traffic- safety grants to help combat illegal street racing, it was announced Tuesday.
The grants are part of a $5 million statewide effort funded by the Office of Traffic Safety through the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency.
"Illegal street racing is not just a great annoyance to the public; it exposes the public, spectators and racers themselves to extreme hazards," said BTH Secretary Sunne Wright McPeak.
"Deaths and injuries due to illegal street racing are a serious problem in many California cities," McPeak said.
The grants will help pay for officer training to recognize vehicles that have been illegally modified for street racing and provide funds for officer overtime for joint enforcement operations cracking down on illegal street racing events, McPeak said.
The grants are modeled after the successful "Drag-Net Program" through the San Diego Police Department, a pilot project funded three years ago through a $700,000 grant from the Office of Traffic Safety, McPeak said.
That grant, which provided training in San Diego County to aid communities in implementing illegal street racing enforcement programs, helped bring down the number of street racing deaths from a high of 16 in 2002 to four over the past two years.
POSTED: 11:37 am PDT August 23, 2005
LOS ANGELES -- Police departments and other law enforcement agencies in Irwindale, Ontario and Riverside will share $1.2 million in local traffic- safety grants to help combat illegal street racing, it was announced Tuesday.
The grants are part of a $5 million statewide effort funded by the Office of Traffic Safety through the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency.
"Illegal street racing is not just a great annoyance to the public; it exposes the public, spectators and racers themselves to extreme hazards," said BTH Secretary Sunne Wright McPeak.
"Deaths and injuries due to illegal street racing are a serious problem in many California cities," McPeak said.
The grants will help pay for officer training to recognize vehicles that have been illegally modified for street racing and provide funds for officer overtime for joint enforcement operations cracking down on illegal street racing events, McPeak said.
The grants are modeled after the successful "Drag-Net Program" through the San Diego Police Department, a pilot project funded three years ago through a $700,000 grant from the Office of Traffic Safety, McPeak said.
That grant, which provided training in San Diego County to aid communities in implementing illegal street racing enforcement programs, helped bring down the number of street racing deaths from a high of 16 in 2002 to four over the past two years.
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 9,198
From: I gotta have more cow bell!!!!
Car Info: 05 STi
I'm all for them combating illegal street racing but they are def. going about it all wrong. Choosing cars based simply off a demographic is basically vehicular racism as rediculous as that may sound. Catch the racers, not the enthusiasts.
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 432
From: Santa Clarita
Car Info: 03 wrx
Hey, profiling works and it's not illlegal :-) It's all about how educated the cops get in that aspect. Remember, they need to have probable cause to pull you over and they're more interested in catching people that are actually committing dangerous and unlawful acts. It just sounds like they may start using aftermarket exhaust as probable cause to pull you over. So just be smart and hope that they're not having a slow day and decide to pull over a car because it has exhaust... :-P I think things will be okay, besides $400,000 for each of those agencies isn't THAT much.
Registered User
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 373
From: Murrieta, CA
Car Info: 04 STi WRB
Originally Posted by maverick707
Hey, profiling works and it's not illlegal :-) It's all about how educated the cops get in that aspect. Remember, they need to have probable cause to pull you over and they're more interested in catching people that are actually committing dangerous and unlawful acts. It just sounds like they may start using aftermarket exhaust as probable cause to pull you over. So just be smart and hope that they're not having a slow day and decide to pull over a car because it has exhaust... :-P I think things will be okay, besides $400,000 for each of those agencies isn't THAT much.
you are ABSOLUTELY RIGHT... however, the fact that its not used in a more productive matter is beyond me...
