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Bay Area police cracking down on sideshows with stiffer fines and proactive task forces
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie announces increased fines for sideshow participants while East Bay police tout task force.
OAKLAND, Calif. - Screeching. Skid-marked streets. Smoke. Sure signs of a sideshow.
Law enforcement across the Bay Area are cracking down on the noisy, destructive events by levying increased fines and threatening to have cars towed.
SF increases fines for sideshow drivers
What they're saying:
In a post on social media Wednesday, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said, "We've all experienced sideshows, wherever you live in San Francisco, and we are not going to tolerate it any longer."
Flanked by Interim San Francisco Police Chief Paul Yep and Supervisor Danny Sauter, Lurie signed legislation to increase fines for misdemeanor sideshow offenses from $500 to $1,000.
Sauter introduced the legislation, which was passed by the Board of Supervisors.
"This sort of activity impacts every district, in every neighborhood, and with this legislation, we're bringing the fines in line with other cities," Sauter said. "It's our next step to take this seriously."
In September, San Francisco police used drones to help track and seize six dirt bikes and an ATV.
In a sit-down interview Wednesday with KTVU, Lurie said until this past weekend, there had been no major sideshows in the city since that operation, a welcome relief from the chaos across San Francisco.
"We got kids and seniors walking across the street, and it felt like things were out of control," Lurie said. "What I want everybody here (to know) is we're on it. SFPD is working diligently to enforce these laws."
Hundreds of cars seized by Oakland police across region
By the numbers:
Across the Bay, Oakland police said Wednesday that officers, using Flock Safety license-plate cameras, have this year seized nearly 200 cars that had been involved in sideshows. Many cars were registered and found outside the city, including Martinez, San Jose, Vacaville, Petaluma, Redwood City and Sacramento.
The cars are impounded for 30 days, and getting them out of car jail can be costly.
When it comes to stopping sideshows, the department aims to be proactive, rather than reactive.
"We never just rush into any situation. We're always constantly evaluating the best way to deal with these," said Alameda County sheriff's Sgt. Fenton Culley, a supervisor with RESET, a task force that includes sheriff's deputies, CHP officers and Hayward, San Leandro and East Bay Regional Park police.
"So when these sideshow participants arrive at our jurisdiction, they don't have the ability to get established," Culley said. "They don't stay here, and they leave hopefully and go home for the night before the sideshow even occurs."
Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on X @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan