Cities and towns say they’re struggling to crack down on street takeovers, so lawmakers are working on a plan.
“We know that it has posed a significant safety hazard and safety threat for those on the road,” Sen. Herron Gaston (D-Bridgeport), co-chairman of the Public Safety and Security Committee, said Thursday.
The committee is considering legislation that would allow to make rules and destroy vehicles seized from takeovers.
“Street takeovers are creating very dangerous situations in towns throughout Connecticut,” Betsy Gara, executive director of the Connecticut Council on Small Towns, said.
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The bill, which was one of the subjects of a public hearing Thursday, comes as takeovers continue to be a problem around the state and country.
Gara said they are disruptive to residents looking to travel through their communities, businesses and even emergency personnel.
In some instances, takeovers can even turn violent. Rep. Greg Howard (R-Stonington), who is also an officer in Stonington, said legislation has to focus on preventing the large crowds from ever gathering.
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“When you have that many vehicles in an area and you take into account that police officers, largely, can’t chase these vehicles if they take off, enforcement is getting difficult,” he said.
The bill would allow municipalities to pass their own ordinances against takeovers and establish tougher penalties for people who participate in them.
It would also allow towns to destroy ATVs seized from takeovers. State law currently only allows towns to sell them at auction, but municipal leaders are reluctant to do that.
“As you can imagine, we don’t these to just circulate back in the community, so we would like the tools to destroy them,” New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said.
The bill also proposes making grants available to towns to help police takeovers. It does not specify a dollar amount, as Gaston said lawmakers are looking for feedback on how much money is needed and how towns would spend it.
“Let’s see,” Gaston said. “If they send that plan to the legislature and it makes sense, then we’ll move forward in that direction.”
