SKIDMARKS

THEY’RE FAST, WE’RE FURIOUS

How street racing and intersection takeovers became a neighborhood problem

Story by CONNOR HENRY

YOU CAN HEAR IT FROM MILES AWAY.

Engines roaring, tires screeching and spewing clouds of smoke, spectators yelling and cheering. Sometimes fireworks and gunshots ring out when the crowd gets especially excited.

Reports of street racing from the Dallas Police Department shot up in 2020, from 4,867 in 2019, to 8,441 last year, and 911 calls related to speeding and racing have increased every year since 2016. Metrics from the first part of 2021 show no signs of reports decreasing.

“The number one phone call I get from people is about street racing,” says City Councilman Chad West.

Street racing and car stunts are by no means new phenomena, but last year, intersection takeovers, excessive speeding and extremely loud vehicles started to infiltrate the Downtown area. People noticed the problem, and DPD patrols increased; lane reductions at key intersections and temporary stop signs were also implemented to calm traffic.

“Curbing street racing in the city became a priority, and it worked,” West says. “But since it worked, it got pushed to the neighborhoods, including Oak Cliff.”

Spectators cluster together while a car spins around them at high speed during this takeover at Noel and Spring Valley.

DPD’s limited resources mean officers find it hard to STREET RACING VS. INTERSECTION keep up. West says that on any given weekend, there are TAKEOVERS anywhere from 1,000-2,000 street racers in the City, Labeling it all “street racing” is an oversimplification. but only 800-1,000 officers on patrol. “There’s actual street racing, and then there’s the

Also hampering the DPD is a strict policy on high- parking lot takeovers, highway-takeover group,” says a speed pursuit that was revised in professional hot rod shop manager 2011 after the determination that who did not want his name used. high-speed chases, which often were He says he first became involved occurring over misdemeanor offenses, “It was actually quite with street racing as a teenager. resulted in increased injuries and terrifying, because “I used to go out with my friend’s deaths. Now officers only engage in pursuit when they can identify a some cars were getting dad,” the manager says. “We’d go out to the track, and then after, go out to threat of physical force or violence. a little too close for the street and try to find street races.” And like almost every other aspect of life, the pandemic played a part. comfort. One wrong He says street races originally happened off the main roads and usually

“It’s a problem that has gotten move and you’re done.” late at night. worse with COVID,” West says. “I’ve “That’s what I would spend my talked to people who say they are money on,” he says. “I’ve done every just bored. They’re not able to do aspect of it: the paint, chassis, moas much. It’s an outlet for them to get out of the house tors, interior.” and do something.” To him, street racing is nothing like intersection take-

Crashes related to racing and drifting in intersections overs. have resulted in property damage, injury and even death “That’s more of a gathering of people with cars, and for participants and bystanders. Last year, one person those are the ones that end up giving everyone a bad died after a racing-related accident on Southlink Drive. name. Those are the ones that are out of control,” the

The dangers of reckless driving are a top concern for shop manager says. many Oak Cliff residents. In an Oak Cliff public The takeovers, also known as slideshows, involve cars safety survey created by the City’s Public Safety blocking an intersection or parking lot, and they attract Advisory Committee, 570 people responded, people mostly under the age of 25. Drivers swing cars and 61% put “address illegal car racing around in circles, burning rubber and often coming close and vagrancy” among their top five to spectators. These events tend to draw larger crowds. priorities regarding safety. In zip A Dallas resident who sometimes goes to takeovers codes 75211 and 75224, illegal tells a different story. car racing and vagrancy was “They don’t let just anyone go in the pit,” he says, the No. 1 issue. referring to the middle of the intersection. “It’s only

extremely good drivers. They go and practice all the time.”

The attendee, who also didn’t want to be identified, says he stumbled across his first takeover when he was out late one night.

“I was curious about it, so I looked on social media, and I saw some accounts. You have to message proof that you saw street racing, or something that proves you’re not gonna rat them out to get in some groups,” he says. “I’m not a car guy myself. I just get bored and want to go watch it.”

Takeovers are typically organized on social media. Private Instagram accounts post scheduled events, and people communicate through direct messaging about which cars will block off the streets and who will watch for police.

“These guys are smart,” West says. “They often have radios. They know when cops are onto them so they can elude us.”

West did a ride-along with DPD Lt. Eric Roman one night to see the situation for himself. “We only spotted them once, and I wanted to go in, but we didn’t have backup. By the time backup arrived, they were gone,” he says.

Since DPD reporting doesn’t differentiate between street racing and sliding, it’s hard to say which is more prevalent or more dangerous.

Taken together, though, reckless driving DID YOU seems to have taken over Dallas. Assistant city manager for public safety Jon Fortune KNOW? said that citywide in 2020, DPD issued more than 4,000 hazardous citations, 10,000 reg- The Dallas Police ular citations and 600 spectator citations and made more than 1,200 arrests related to reckless driving. Police towed nearly 700 Department made 1,200 arrests for vehicles and recovered 34 stolen vehicles reckless driving during that period. last year.

Last May, City Council passed an ordinance to impound cars and ticket spectators. Even with an uptick in citations, there was no noticeable decrease in behavior.

With DPD’s policy on pursuit, drivers typically aren’t caught. Even when they are, they face relatively low fines. Their vehicles are impounded, but the perpetrators must be convicted for their cars to be seized, and it can take multiple convictions for that to happen.

Some on City Council want statewide legislation to make it easier for cities to seize cars and punish offenders.

“Even if we focused every officer, we cannot police our way out of it,” West says. “We have to come up with other solutions.”

OTHER SOLUTIONs

Enthusiasts of the illicit hobby agree that street racing and sliding come with unavoidable risk. Some suggest finding a space where people can do it more safely.

That’s a view shared by Ricardo Anderson, a self-identified “swinger”. Anderson sent an email to council member David Blewett last year asking for the City’s help in creating a “special spot” to get swingers off the streets.

“Trust me, we getting tired of running from y’all,” he wrote. “Us

2020 SPEEDING/ RACING CITATIONS ISSUED

3,888 hazardous

SAFETY VIOLATIONS SUCH AS RUNNING A RED LIGHT OR STOP SIGN

10,121 regulatory

ADMIINISTRATIVE VIOLATIONS SUCH AS NO REGISTRATION, DRIVER’S LICENSE OR INSURANCE

612 specator 1,196 arrests 184 felonies 48 guns seized 72 incidents of narcotics seized 659 vehicles towed 34 stolen vehicles recovered

Street racing is currently a priority two call, which means a 12-minute response time for officers to get to the scene.

swingers want to be safe as well, left alone in peace … cars triggered something in her, she says. we previously had a secret spot that DPD found and “I texted Chad [West] and sent him a video like, ‘Do decided to raid it a few months back … we just want you see what’s going on?’” she says. our spot back.” West asked for Moffett’s help, and she helped create

There’s a petition on Change.org from TSNLS Dallas, the Hampton Road Task Force, concentrating on curbing an Instagram account that posts videos of street racing, street racing and traffic-calming tactics. requesting “a legal lot to slide so NOBODY gets hurt.” The task force consists of community leaders from The petition had 1,452 signatures the neighborhoods that line Hampton as of mid-February. Road, and they meet with DPD and

But endorsing that would be transportation department represenproblematic from a liability stand- “It got pushed into tatives about solutions. point. “Could we find a place for them the neighborhoods, In October, they used traffic cones to reduce Hampton from six lanes to four closer to Dallas?” West asks. “We including Oak Cliff.” on the weekends, which pushed traffic have money committed a thou- together and slowed drivers. With the sand different ways, so is that road diet, Hampton saw about a 75% something we want to focus on? decrease in 911 calls related to street I don’t know, but maybe it’s worth blockage and a 65% decrease in calls looking into.” related to street racing.

Another strategy that’s had some success was tem- “We’re also looking at how we could slow traffic in porary lane reductions along Hampton Road, a busy those areas by enhancing some of the signage, enhancthoroughfare that sees a lot of excessive speeding and ing the road in between school zones,” Moffett says. intersection takeovers. “We’re also looking at a painted area or rumble strips

One late night in September, while Oak Cliff resident or left turn bays.” Becky Moffett was temporarily living in a rented home a Traffic calming via road diet, although occasionally anhome in West Kessler, she could hear cars doing donuts noying, worked to decrease street racing and intersection at Davis and Hampton, and she could smell the burning takeovers on Hampton, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all. rubber from her yard. The proximity of the swinging “One treatment in one area works, but it might not

work in another area, or we might need a hybrid,” says Ghassan Khankarli, assistant director of the city’s transportation department. “We’re trying to come up with the best solutions.”

Meanwhile, DPD is exploring the expansion of intel and surveillance techniques, and the City is conducting traffic studies to diagnose problem areas. The Neighborhood Traffic Management Plan, Traffic Management Toolkit and the Connect Dallas Strategic Mobility Plan all aim to comprehensively tackle Dallas street safety.

In Oak Cliff, the Hampton Road Task Force will be sending out a survey to residents about possible permanent changes along Hampton and in the area.

“This is community driven,” Moffett says. “We’re trying to figure out if people want change before we continue down this rabbit hole.”

Report street racing by calling 911 or on the City’s 911 iWatchDallas app.

Calls received by police to report racing and speeding

2016 3,253

2017 3,645

2018 3,956

2019 4,857

2020 8,441

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