TOP STORY Get breaking news for Peachtree Corners, Duluth and others on Twitter: @gwinnettnewsnow NORCROSS Norcross looks at fines, jail time for street racing

New ordinance puts teeth in bid to curb dangerous stunts.

A Norcross ordinance banning street racing and reckless driving exhibitions within its city limits is now on the books, making it the latest metro city to crack down on the activity.

Norcross City Council unanimously passed the ordi- nance Monday evening, hoping to curb street racing by issuing fines and possibly jailing offenders. Under the local law, organizers, driv- ers and spectators of street race events and related activities could face fines up to $1,000 and up to six months of jail time. Police officers can also impound street-rac- ing vehicles.

“This ordinance certainly sends the word out to the public that we will not toler- ate street racing in the City of Norcross,” Mayor Craig Newton said.

Last June, Norcross police officers started to focus their attention on the southwestern portion of the city following complaints of cars spin- ning tires along Jimmy Car- ter Boulevard and Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, Chief Bill Grogan said.

The department believes less traffic on the roads due to the pandemic led to the increase in street racing, speed exhibitions and tire “burn-outs” across metro Atlanta, he said.

The increased patrols have led to an overall decline in reported incidents, Grogan said, but the ordinance could help further discour- age the activity. “Using our blue cruise lights as a deter- rent, we were able to reduce the number of ‘burn-outs’ to only once or twice a month, but not completely,” Grogan said in an email.

Norcross joined the grow- ing list of metro Atlanta cities who have banned street racing over the past year, includ- ing Brookhaven, Chamblee, Doraville, Roswell and Sandy Springs. Less than a month ago, Decatur became the fourth DeKalb city to ban the activity.

The Gwinnett County Police Department has stepped up its patrols, reporting last month that it has started conducting extra traffic stops.

The county has considered street racing an issue for a while, but it has observed an uptick recently, Gwinnett Police Corp. Collin Flynn told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last month. The activity occurs countywide, with police officers responding to incidents in a new place each time, he said.