Decatur is the latest DeKalb County city to crack down on street racing events, which are often attended by hundreds of spectators.
The City Commission passed an ordinance Monday to potentially jail and fine violators in addition to impounding their vehicles. Decatur is the fourth city in the county to pass a similar law, which increases the punishment for participants while also including event organizers and spectators.
“This activity is certainly an immediate threat to public safety and also a nuisance to the communities where this activity takes place,” Deputy Chief Scott Richards said during the meeting.
Illegal racing events have become more common over the past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic leaving streets emptier than usual, according to law enforcement. Several metro Atlanta police departments, including Decatur police, have reported an uptick in groups laying drag since last May.
Richards, who is poised to become the city’s acting police chief next month after longtime police Chief Mike Booker retires, said the department has responded to 41 street racing complaints or incidents since May 2020. He said most of those complaints came from the Oakhurst neighborhood, which is in the southwest corner of the city’s limits.
This past weekend, more than 100 adults and juveniles were arrested during a street racing bust in Clayton County. Between April 2020 and February 2021, DeKalb police also issued 339 citations and made 29 arrests related to illegal street races, according to the results of an Open Records Request.
Decatur’s law imposes a fine up to $1,000 for violators, who could also receive up to six months in jail. Vehicles used in a street race can be impounded until the case is settled. Atlanta, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Doraville, Roswell, Sandy Springs and other Georgia cities passes similar laws in the past year.
Meanwhile, two bills are moving through the Georgia Legislature and would impose stricter punishments for street racers, organizers and attendees across the state. One of the bills is sponsored by Sen. Emanuel Jones, a Democrat from Decatur. The AJC’s Legislative Navigator gives Jones’ bill, SB 10, a 6% chance of passing, while it gives the other bill, HB 534, a 46% of becoming a law.
The bills, if they pass, would go into effect July 1. Richards said Decatur’s ordinance is necessary to plug the gap until a statewide bill is enacted.
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