Regional effort targets rowdy dirt bikers
Although the official start of summer’s still a week away, we’ve already been subjected to an unwelcome rite of warmer weather — those insufferable packs of dirt bikers. And if past is prologue, they’re poised to pose a repeat threat to public safety.
At least that’s what many of us experienced last year.
If you live in Lowell or one of its adjacent suburbs, the sight and sound of dirt bikes rampaging down a major thoroughfare became a familiar bane of your summer existence.
Hordes of these illegal offroad vehicles were spotted speeding down Andover Street in the city’s Belvidere section, digging up lawns in the Highlands near the Chelmsford line, and zooming unchecked down the Lowell-lawrence Boulevard.
They mainly eluded law enforcement’s attempt to put a dent in this illegal and potentially dangerous activity.
Lowell Police disclosed that over the previous several months, they’ve experienced an increase in dirt bikes and motorcycles driven dangerously throughout the city — on sidewalks, stopping traffic, unsafely passing cars and “popping wheelies.”
Earlier this spring, law enforcement focused resources in an attempt to curb the problem.
“This is an important issue,” Deputy Superintendent Mark Leblanc told the newspaper. “It’s obviously a quality- of-life issue and a safety issue.”
Leblanc said the department has partnered with other area police agencies to share information and methods to slow the flow of reckless operators. That includes targeted enforcement, as well as followup investigations by the department’s Neighborhood Action Unit and Crime Analysis.
Leblanc said police officers have attended neighborhood meetings, and visited gas stations and self-storage areas in an attempt to determine where the dirt bikes are being stored and where the operators are congregating.
To better address this epidemic of nuisance- driven offroad riders, Lowell Police and other area police departments have formally joined forces to clamp down on this regional problem.
Last week Lowell Police announced the formation of the Merrimack Valley Reckless Bikers Task Force, which includes the police departments of Lawrence, Andover, Chelms
Lowell Police disclosed that over the previous several months, they’ve experienced an increase in dirt bikes and motorcycles driven dangerously throughout the city.
ford, Dracut, Methuen, Tewksbury and Tyngsboro.
“These reckless actions create a dangerous situation not only for the motoring public but also the operators themselves,” their press release states. “This partnership between our agencies highlights the seriousness of this issue and affirms our commitment to the safety of our residents.”
Even with the coordinated efforts of several area police departments, intercepting these scofflaws in the act can be a frustrating experience.
Their random appearances don’t fit a predictable pattern, and police pursuit policies often preclude their apprehension.
For example, Leblanc said that when a situation involves minor traffic violations or nonviolent misdemeanors, engaging in high-speed pursuit is a violation of that policy, which states that police should only engage in a high-speed pursuit in extreme cases where flight of the suspect poses a significant risk to the community.
That’s why Lowell Police set up an email account where tipsters can leave details on where groups of dirt bikers gather and their identifying features, leads that authorities can pursue.
As Leblanc pointed out, an offender doesn’t have to be pulled over at the time of the infraction to be charged.
If law enforcement can preempt or apprehend sufficient numbers of these biker bands, maybe they’ll revert to the off-road routes they chose to abandon.
To provide a tip about reckless dirt bikers, ATVS or other off-road vehicles in the area, send an email to bikertips@lowellma.gov.