Sometimes complaining does work.

[SeaCat]

I had to shake my head and laugh.

I was sitting in the living room last night while thinking about heading for bed when I heard the screeching of tires off in the distance. This was quickly followed by the sound of a siren sarting up in the distance. Within seconds I noticed blue lights flashing through my living room windows and heard a car stop out front. This was quickly followed by brakes being locked up and two cars sliding along the pavement before coming to a stop almost in font of my place.

I wandered out to watch the excitement and saw two young men pulled out of their cars, cuffed and stuffed into cruisers even as they loudly proclaimed their innocence. They had been doing nothing wrong, at least in their eyes.

It seems the complaints to the Police about these street racers have finally born some fruit.

It started about a month ago with two cars starting their race on the far side of the bridge and coming into our area at a high rate of speed.

They seemed to like this area. It has a nice long straight stretch of road with plenty of side roads to escape on. The races started going every night. Cars, Motorcycles, they all raced through here. They did so at all times of night. It got hard to sleep.

Several of my neighbors and I complained to the Police. They didn't believe us at first. Then we started video taping the action. We could hear th races starting on the other side of the bridge and so we could pick up the cameras and have them in the windows for when they blew past. One of my neighbors even got some good footage of one of these racers losing controll and sliding into a parking lot, tagging two parked cars.

It seems these video tapes worked.

Cat

Oh and it seems the Police didn't like my idea for slowing these racers down. I told them because the racers used both lanes of the street and came over the bridge from the east, they should raise the western side of the bridge six inches during the overnight hours. This wouldn't be enough of a lift to stop drivers doing the posted limit of 15 M.P.H. but it would do some damage to the cars of the street racers.

 

[Emperor_Nero]

I had to shake my head and laugh.

I was sitting in the living room last night while thinking about heading for bed when I heard the screeching of tires off in the distance. This was quickly followed by the sound of a siren sarting up in the distance. Within seconds I noticed blue lights flashing through my living room windows and heard a car stop out front. This was quickly followed by brakes being locked up and two cars sliding along the pavement before coming to a stop almost in font of my place.

I wandered out to watch the excitement and saw two young men pulled out of their cars, cuffed and stuffed into cruisers even as they loudly proclaimed their innocence. They had been doing nothing wrong, at least in their eyes.

It seems the complaints to the Police about these street racers have finally born some fruit.

It started about a month ago with two cars starting their race on the far side of the bridge and coming into our area at a high rate of speed.

They seemed to like this area. It has a nice long straight stretch of road with plenty of side roads to escape on. The races started going every night. Cars, Motorcycles, they all raced through here. They did so at all times of night. It got hard to sleep.

Several of my neighbors and I complained to the Police. They didn't believe us at first. Then we started video taping the action. We could hear th races starting on the other side of the bridge and so we could pick up the cameras and have them in the windows for when they blew past. One of my neighbors even got some good footage of one of these racers losing controll and sliding into a parking lot, tagging two parked cars.

It seems these video tapes worked.

Cat

Oh and it seems the Police didn't like my idea for slowing these racers down. I told them because the racers used both lanes of the street and came over the bridge from the east, they should raise the western side of the bridge six inches during the overnight hours. This wouldn't be enough of a lift to stop drivers doing the posted limit of 15 M.P.H. but it would do some damage to the cars of the street racers.

It's amazing how video tape can convince any officals to move to action ... I think it's the fear of the tape showing up on TV and having some reporter ask them why they aren't doing anything about the problem.

 

[SeaCat]

It's amazing how video tape can convince any officals to move to action ... I think it's the fear of the tape showing up on TV and having some reporter ask them why they aren't doing anything about the problem.

Sometimes it isn't the worry about the worry about Television. Sometimes it is the delegation of resources.

In my area the street racers while dangerouse aren't the highest priority, the gangs are. We had to prove that these racers were a danger and a threat. (The Police on this scene were all locals and not Sherriffs Department.) (Oops, we just lost power for about a minute. Man I love my Laptop.)

I love my video camera. It has helped bust several people in two states so far. It has brought the Police in on two Drug Houses and now on a group of Street Racers.

Cat

 

[buxxxom]

I miss the old days when cordless phone conversations could be picked up on any standard fire/police scanner! Several arrests locally were borne of that!

 

[Boxlicker101]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Emperor_Nero
It's amazing how video tape can convince any officals to move to action ... I think it's the fear of the tape showing up on TV and having some reporter ask them why they aren't doing anything about the problem.

Sometimes it isn't the worry about the worry about Television. Sometimes it is the delegation of resources.

In my area the street racers while dangerouse aren't the highest priority, the gangs are. We had to prove that these racers were a danger and a threat. (The Police on this scene were all locals and not Sherriffs Department.) (Oops, we just lost power for about a minute. Man I love my Laptop.)

I love my video camera. It has helped bust several people in two states so far. It has brought the Police in on two Drug Houses and now on a group of Street Racers.

Cat

Street racing is not just innocent fun. You mentioned parked cars being struck. That could just as well have been pedestrians.

 

[Nookiehunter]

I miss the old days when cordless phone conversations could be picked up on any standard fire/police scanner! Several arrests locally were borne of that!

Did you ever have a party line? They could be fun if used improperly.

Nookiehunter

 

[SesameStreet]

Good for you for speaking out. Too many people are becoming afraid to do that because of the possibility of reprisals from the guilty parties. I wish more people would speak out like this.

 

[Boxlicker101]

Good for you for speaking out. Too many people are becoming afraid to do that because of the possibility of reprisals from the guilty parties. I wish more people would speak out like this.

I agree, but speaking out against street racers is not as dangerous as speaking out against drug dealers, or others of that ilk.

 

[SeaCat]

I agree, but speaking out against street racers is not as dangerous as speaking out against drug dealers, or others of that ilk.

Here in Palm Beach County we have the Crimes Hotline. This is hotline you can call to report a crime or the location of someone who is wanted without having to leave your name or phone number. (Yes I can see you back there waving you hand like a flag. Yeah you, the one with the visor on backwards and upside down so you can catch the rainfall. I know you are going to say that they can always track your phone number. Have you ever heard of payphones?)

On the same note Video Tapes can be made and sent in without giving your name or address. All you have to do is make sure to show where the action is taking place. Street signs are good for this. You can also state on the tape, without using your name the time date and place the video was shot.

I have used both of these techniques in the past with varied results.

Cat