The Blaine city council has passed an ordinance, making it a crime for two or more vehicles to engage in street racing. It also allows police to cite spectators who show up to watch.
Blaine Police Captain Mark Boerboom told WCCO’s Adam Carter, what he thinks will happen as a result.
“If this happens here in the city and we make some arrests, the words will get out, that there's an ordinance in Blaine and we're not going to tolerate it,” Boerboom says. “And then hopefully other cities in the area will adopt the same type of ordinance and kind of put an end to this behavior.”
Boerboom says he's frustrated, because even if they do make arrests, the behavior somehow continues.
“The lack of follow through with, you know, with our judicial system,” Boerboom explains. “We're making these arrests and nothing's happening to these folks. They know that in the end, they can get away with a lot more than they did in the past for whatever reason.”
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported over the weekend that nearby Fridley is part of a task force that includes the State Patrol, which this summer launched an all-out campaign to tamp down on street racing.
The Minnesota State Patrol has been assisting in Minneapolis where street racing has been a particular issue for the police department.
Since the State Patrol has partnered with Minneapolis Police and other agencies, they’ve made significant progress. From April through July, they’ve stopped over 1,200 vehicles, 102 people have been arrested, 64 vehicles have been towed, and nine have been forfeited according to Lt. Gordon Shank.
“I think first and foremost this has been a group effort,” Shank told WCCO’s Adam and Jordana in August. “We couldn't do this alone.
There's been multiple other local law enforcement agencies that have assisted. We're all committed to the same thing and that's just making sure that we have safe roads and that there's not a concern from the public.”
Shank said in August there have been issues with prosecution, the same issue they’ve faced in Blaine and other communities. But the agencies the State Patrol has been working with have committed to working hard with prosecutors to end this dangerous activity in communities across the metro.
The Twin Cities are not alone in trying to crack down on street racing. CNN reported recently that many metro areas, from Los Angeles to Des Moines, have been dealing with what has been called “street takeovers”, where cars have been drag racing and causing damage due to being “out of control”.
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