Fresno police say illegal street racing enforcement team is a success

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Last summer, the Fresno Police Department set out to make the city an undesirable place for street racers by dedicating a team of officers to track down vehicles that are illegally modified and drivers engaging in street racing or sideshows.

"We still have 10 officers assigned full-time, two sergeants. They work seven days a week, so they're out there. Last year, they made 450 cases. This year, they're going to surpass that. They've already made 260 year to date," said Interim Chief Mindy Casto.

The team of officers is fully trained on how to enforce street racing.

It was formed after constant complaints from the public.

"People were really tired of hearing those screeching tires. It's scary. Those intersection takeovers create fear. The community had a lot to say about that and we try to be responsive whenever we can. We saw the need as well," said Chief Casto.

Casto says street racing is still happening, but the dedicated officers are able to quickly identify possible sideshows before they become a problem.

"There are gatherings that kind of proceed a sideshow, so we address them before they become a problem. Obviously, we don't want to prevent people from taking part in legally sanctioned activity, just gathering for innocent purposes, but we do know oftentimes some of those gatherings tend to lead to sideshows," said Casto.

"I can tell you that I get a lot fewer calls from residents complaining about street racing," said Fresno City Councilmember Mike Karbassi.

Karbassi represents northwest Fresno, which is where some of the sideshow hot spots have historically been.

He says the goal has always been to make the streets of Fresno safer for all drivers, cyclists and pedestrians and prevent tragedy.

"When you have a car that's thousands of pounds and you're racing, every second you drive, you're going 50, 60, 70 feet and when you hit someone, you'll kill them," said Karbassi.

With people's safety on the line and proven results, Chief Casto says the Street Racing Enforcement Team will be sticking around.

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