Sacramento city police and other Sacramento county law enforcement agencies have been selected as the first in the state to receive special training on how to catch street racers with souped-up cars.
Announcing a $5 million federal grant Wednesday, state and local officials vowed to crack down more on speeders, and especially young drivers who illegally alter their engines to make them faster.



"We're looking to make a heavy impact on speeding and street racing in this area," Sacramento Deputy Police Chief Steve Segura said during a news conference on Del Paso Road in North Natomas.

The event took place a few hundred feet from where Kimberly Marie Wheeler, 40, was hit and killed by a 19-year-old street racer on a June weekday afternoon as she left work.

The state's top transportation official, Business, Transportation and Housing Secretary Sunne Wright McPeak, called Wheeler's death an example of "a needless incident that has to be stopped."

Officers representing most law enforcement agencies in Sacramento County will be trained in ways they can legally stop a car they suspect has been illegally modified, then how to look for and recognize illegal modifications, officials said.

Those officers then will train others in their departments on how to spot and check out illegal engines, and on what citations they can write.

Notably, owners of illegally modified cars can be cited for failing to meet state emissions standards, which can lead to fines and fees of more than $2,000, said Gregory Sloan, a San Diego city police officer who will conduct the training.

The program funded by the grant is called Drag-Net.

The program also includes increasing efforts to find out where street racing occurs and to crack down on the races.

Law enforcement officials said they are uncertain if illegal street racing is on the rise.

Sloan of San Diego and Sacramento Undersheriff John McGinness both characterize street racing as an ongoing public safety problem for decades.

"It's been alive and well in San Diego for 50 years," Sloan said.

McGinness said, however, street racers in the past tended to race more in outlying rural areas, but now more are doing it often in populated areas.

Chris Murphy, head of the state Office of Traffic Safety, said his sense, although only anecdotal, is that more people are modifying their engines to make them faster, and that there are more street-racing related crashes.

Wheeler's family attended the announcement Wednesday, and expressed hope the money can make some difference.

"It's marvelous," said Nancy Wheeler, Kim's stepmother.

"Maybe it can make some sense of what happened."

"I think it was good they used my mom as an example," Tony Wheeler, 16, said.

Wacha think this is supposed to go nation wide!!

 

that's was unforntue and sad about Mrs. Wheeler, it seems everyone on this forum is a safe driver IF they race on the streets, otherwise just the track, you could kinda see this coming... cops+'racers'=disaster

 

I think racing should be done safely and with precaution. If you have a track, it's best to race there and it's legit. But when you race on the street without any precautions then it's dangerous. You're right drivers on this forum are pretty safe but you do have drivers that do not care about safety especially their own safety.

It's ironic that drivers who don't care and end crashing usually do not injure themselves but others...Not cool.

 

Its mostly stuoid ricers that do that crap too. Ive been pettitioning forever for the government to set up a public track. If they had more there wouldnt be as much as a problem. It would be simple, sign a waiver saying that the government is not responsible for anything that happens to your car on the track and get a little decal and you set.

 

My point exactly but their shouldnt be a rule allowing the cops to harass tuners, by the govt allowing this it allows the cops to profile. Which isnt right. also with the decal if caught racing on public streets or freeways and not sanctioned locations that your car be automatically impounded and fined.

 

Ya cant do much about that if the engine is swapped

 

They will cite you for an engine swap too!!! i kno all the stuff that goes on my car is CARB exempt. even in CA

 

thats rediculous. I really dont see in the first place how tuning is so damn big and still goes on while these restrictions are in place. It doesnt make sense.

 

ahhh...home of the land of the free. i don't really see how tuning a car makes the rest of the world unsafe. i can see it now...old people saying "there goes johnny with his little race car. oh, i think i'm having a heart attack after looking at it." i say, if the car still meets emission standards with the mods, then let people do whatever they want with their car. they paid for it!

i agree with ray. a public race strip or track would be a great idea. it really is risky, no matter how good a driver someone is, to race on a public street. and you don't have to have a car with tons of engine mods to race. i used to race my sister's integra, and it was bone stock. sometimes i think people in authoritative, government positions go through a test before they get their job. it's a test to see if they have a brain. if yes, then they don't get the job. if no, go ahead and move to california for a job!

 

http://www.flexyourrights.org/just_s...olice_searches

this was brought up the other day, and i thank who ever did, read up, from what i can see, unless you plaster racing stickers all over your car, they cant legally search your car, which means cant get under the hood, unless you give them permission, which you DO NOT have to, wanna become a lawyer when i get older hope this helps