HARTFORD, Conn. (WTIC Radio) - In Hartford, 31 ATVs and dirt bikes were crushed Tuesday as part of the city's enforcement efforts in keeping them off the city's streets, which resulted in some progress until the COVID-19 lockdown, according to Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin.
At Corona's Auto Parts in Hartford, 18 dirt bikes and 13 ATVs were destroyed, Bronin said.
Hartford police seized them, Bronin said, and will continue to do so by conducting operations to target the illegal use of motorized recreational vehicles in the city.
"Residents are tired of having loud ATVs and dirt bikes tear through our neighborhoods, but this is more than a quality of life issue — it's a public safety issue," Bronin said.
City police seized the crushed vehicles over the past few years, Bronin said, and the city obtained permission to destroy them through legal proceedings. However, Bronin said in just the last month, authorities seized more than 30 motorized recreational vehicles.
"Through highly visible enforcement operations, we've made progress deterring people from coming from outside of Hartford to ride, but we've seen an uptick in joy riding since the coronavirus lockdown," Bronin said.
According to Bronin, when police recover stolen vehicles, they are returned to their rightful owners. Otherwise, Bronin said people can expect their confiscated vehicles to be destroyed when possible.
Hartford Police Lt. Paul Cicero said though a lot of time, effort and thought went into the option of auctioning the ATVs and dirt bikes, the units did not go to auction for several reasons.
Some of the units could only be identified by running the engine/transmission numbers because of manipulated VINS, Cicero said in an email. "Lots of these were heavily modified, and most of it was shoddy work," he said.
Due to their condition, Cicero said police did not feel comfortable selling them. Also, the time transporting, posting and auctioning them for "the small number the city would intake wouldn't be worth the time, resources and effort," Cicero said.
Police also wanted to avoid the potential of these vehicles getting back on the streets and in Hartford parks after being purchased, Cicero said.
Bronin said he encourages residents to get out, exercise and spend time outside with family while keeping up with social distancing guidelines. "But if you're riding an ATV or a dirt bike," Bronin said, "don't even think about it."