How city leaders in SoCal are stopping dangerous street takeovers before they start
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Street takeovers are a problem.
In addition to the smoke and noise, the events have been the scene of murders along with arson, human trafficking and narcotics activity.
In spite of ongoing efforts to end the practice, since April 2023, there have been over 1,000 takeover events across Los Angeles County.
"We want to make sure we stop these issues, because people are dying," said L.A. County Sheriff's Department Capt. Terrence Bell.
Starting in 2022, Botts' dots were installed at intersections in the city of Compton where takeovers were commonplace, but residents have called their effectiveness into question.
READ MORE | Compton installs city's first set of Botts' Dots in hopes of deterring street takeovers
"It's a waste of taxpayer's money," said Compton resident Christopher Bailey. "I feel that the Botts' dots, they don't stop anything."
The sheriff's department has seen some success with the use of administrative citations.
A $2,000 fine is given to anyone involved in a street takeover. By using the citations, the burden on the judicial system is reduced because when charged with a crime, it simply bogs down the courts with misdemeanor prosecutions.
The cities working with the sheriff's department collect the fines, again, reducing the burden on the county.
For Compton, a total of $279,000 in fines were issued since April 2023.
Also at the state level, new laws have expanded vehicle impoundment authority. In L.A. County, there were 450 vehicles towed in the same period.
"We know that individuals, number one, don't want to lose their car and they don't want to be hit by their pocketbook, so it's been very effective with administrative citations," said Bell.
But those are actions taken after the event, and in many cases, the vehicles involved are stolen.
So what's left?
Residents near an intersection in Port Hueneme have lived with dangerous driving and street takeovers for years.
"It's frightening. People stand on the corner and all I could think of was, 'What if a car loses control?' It was very, very dangerous," said resident Anne DePaolo.
When education and punishment don't work, sometimes you just have to harden the target.
You make the intersection too difficult to takeover.
"We didn't want to make it difficult to use the street, we just wanted to make it hard to do donuts, and I think we've found that solution here," said Port Hueneme City Manager James Vega.
The rubber medians populating the intersection are far beyond the Botts' dots. They are sturdy, easy to install and officials say they're fairly inexpensive.
As part of a six-month test project, they have also had an immediate impact.
"It works. It definitely works. They can't do it, it's great!" said DePaolo.
"It helps even outside of the zone where the test project is because it's made it less desirable to come here and try it," added Vega. "The city still cites people who look for other areas to do donuts, but it's clear this works and will likely be used elsewhere."
"We're always going to be using all of our tools, but for us in this area, it was a frequent occurrence, and it was one that we knew we needed to figure out how to try to stop it from happening in the first place."
For DePaolo, the answer is clear.
"It just stops the spinning because of the way those humps are placed, so I would think it could apply in many situations in other cities as well."
