Before latest street takeovers clogged roads, one city was able to thwart the gatherings
By the time hundreds of people in cars hoping to shut down parking lots in a planned “street takeover” arrived in Shelton Saturday night, officials say local police had already called in for reinforcements from several other agencies, including state police and the FBI and blocked the activity from happening.
“They were frustrated so they drove off to other towns but there was a strong showing of officers who went with them,” said Shelton Police Detective Richard Bango, who added that the motorists were unable to takeover any parking lots in Derby, Orange or Shelton because police were in place as the caravan traveled through each town.
As street takeovers have become more common in recent years, Connecticut police are learning how to stop the large gatherings from forming.
“It was literally on-thejob training,” Bango said. “We learned that once they park, it’s impossible to stop and you have to let it play out, otherwise it’s too hard to break up. But if we get information beforehand, we can stop them from parking, which reduces the risk of dangerous behavior.”
Other Connecticut towns were unable to stop the takeovers from happening this weekend. The gatherings clogged roads and parking lots in North Haven on Saturday, and West Haven and Milford on Friday night, generating frustration among local residents and officials as well as a number of arrests.
West Haven police made six arrests while North Haven officials said Interstate 91 was backed up in both directions for a mile and it was difficult to respond to medical emergencies. North Haven police said there was an assault in the area of Universal Drive where an estimated 1,500 drivers, many from out of state, congregated after leaving Shelton.
Police did not say why hundreds of drivers from other states targeted Connecticut towns for street takeovers over the weekend.
In a statement released Monday, Sen. Paul Cicarella, R-North Haven, a member of the Public Safety and Security Committee, said the street takeovers that occurred over the weekend are “unacceptable.”
“Those who participate in these illegal acts know that the police can’t do anything,” he said. “More reforms are needed to deter street takeovers. There needs to be consequences. I will continue to lead bipartisan discussions at the State Capitol to make Connecticut a safer, more accountable state. We need majority Democrats to join us in these discussions if we want to make progress.” But Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, the co-chair of the Public Safety and Security Committee, said police in Shelton and other towns were able to work cooperatively and handled the situation.
“According to the information I received, police did issue tickets and dealt with it,” she said Monday in response to Cicarella’s statement. “We did take it seriously last year and passed legislation that starts the process. If we need stronger accountability measures, we’ll work at doing that.”
It’s not so much the parking and showing off parked cars that’s the issue at these events, Bango said. “Believe it or not, many of the kids who showed up were well-intentioned and just wanted to show off their cars,” he said.
But the events often become dangerous when a large crowd gathers while drivers perform stunts at high speeds, known as driving “donuts” or “drifting,” which causes the car to move in an uncontrolled slide.
“Now you have spectators standing in a crowd nearby while they are driving that way,” Bango said.
Getting tips about a looming takeover and communication between law enforcement agencies are keys to preventing the gatherings from taking place, Bango and Connecticut State Police Sgt. Christine Jeltema said.
“It’s a collaboration between state, local and federal agencies and that’s huge,” Jeltema said. “Everybody is working together.”
Over the weekend, troopers who work out of barracks in the impacted locations were asked to either come in or remain on shift to help Shelton and other towns, Jeltema said. The federal Bureau of Investigation provided a plane as part of the Shelton operation, Bango said.
“By collaborating and communicating, we are able to get everyone together on short notice,” Jeltema said.
Kimberly Przeszlowski, an assistant criminal justice professor at Quinnipiac University, recommends law enforcement agencies use technology to help deter people from staging street takeovers and to help identify and arrest people who engage in them.
“Technology such as closed-circuit television, license plate readers, drones and GPS for areas that are prone to street takeovers are a great arsenal to have,” Przeszlowski said.
Closed-circuit TV can alert police when people start to gather, she said. The other tools can help identify perpetrators, she added. The goal is to have tools that will deter people from engaging in the behavior, Przeszlowski said. “These technologies could impact individuals who may be carrying a legitimate license plate,” she said.
She said it’s also “critical” to collect data on areas in a town where a street takeover is likely to occur.