Waterbury police are cracking down on illegal ATVs and dirt bikes in the city. This week alone, there have been several arrests and vehicles confiscated.
There was a city ordinance passed in 2015 making use of these off-road vehicles illegal in Waterbury.
As the weather warms up, Waterbury police say it typically sees a higher volume of ATV and dirt bike activity. This year has been no different. During separate incidents, Waterbury police officers were able to seize multiple ATVs and one dirt bike. Several arrests were also made.
Police are continuing proactive enforcement to crack down on these illegal vehicles. They say they are monitoring social media and using drone technology to identify planned ATV meet-ups and identify storage locations.
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Police say the crackdown is a priority to lessen the dangerous activity they’re seeing.
“It’s wheelies, swerving in and out of traffic,” said. Lieutenant Ryan Bessette. “Many times, they travel in large packs together and they’re constantly going through red lights and stop signs.”
This week, one arrest was made on East Main Street and a dirt bike was seized and towed from the scene.
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On Lawrence Street, officers received information about multiple abandoned ATVs in the roadway. Two of those ATVs had no valid registration or proof of ownership. They were towed.
In the area of Lakewood Park, police say they found multiple ATVs doing donuts on the basketball courts and causing damage. Two people were arrested and charged with reckless driving and reckless endangerment in the first degree.
Police are strongly encouraging people to report the operation of ATVs and any known storage location for them.
They have set up the email atvtips@waterburyct.org along with a Tip Hotline at (203) 573-6662.
