A regional task force is returning as western Massachusetts city leaders and police reiterate they won’t tolerate illegal dirt bike riding.
Barring flash snowstorms, decent spring weather is back in the Pioneer Valley. That means ideal conditions for dirt bikes. But, law enforcement has been making it clear – don’t ride them on city streets.
“I've seen some of the videos of the dirt bikes operating in our city, down Chicopee Street, and it's appalling,” says Chicopee Police Chief Patrick Major. “These guys are riding, they're doing wheelies in between motor vehicles, going in the wrong lane, into oncoming traffic. My message to the dirt bike riders is ‘It's not worth your life.”
That was part of the message at a press conference in front of Springfield City Hall Monday.
There, Major, along with other police chiefs, mayors and law officials spelled out how, with the return of sunny conditions and warmer temperatures, dirt bikes and ATVs are back on city streets.
So, too, is a partnership involving law enforcement in Springfield, Holyoke, Chicopee and Ludlow.
Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi says coordinated effort, involving local and state police, will build on past success.
“We don't want loss of life, we want people to abide by the laws, we want people to comport to what we're asking them to do - and that's what the task force is going to enforce,” he said. “So, on behalf of the sheriff's office, we will continue to be a partner with the city of Springfield and the entire task force."
According to Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, the Massachusetts State Police Air Wing will be making a return to the region to assist in dirt bike tracking efforts, support Cocchi considers to be crucial.
"I want to thank the state police, the support in the air is critical and it's not as easy to get that support these days, but it's critically important," he added, noting drones are also to be used.
Dirt bikes are not illegal to own in Massachusetts but driving them on public ways is prohibited.
Cities like Chicopee have gone farther by banning dirt bikes from city property, while Springfield’s city council has passed language discouraging city gas stations from letting them fuel up.
As highlighted last month, Springfield councilors are looking to build on that, with a home rule petition said to be in the works involving Ward 5 City Councilor Lavar Click-Bruce.
If approved by the council and the state legislature, it would allow the city to destroy illegally-operated dirt bikes following their seizure.
Sarno says the city’s legal department is vetting it and that Springfield State Senator Adam Gomez and Representative Orlando Ramos have already signaled interest.
“… if you hit them in the pocket, the wallet, the pocketbook - that's going to send a message,” the mayor said. “You’ve got to make it hurt, and we don't want to see any pedestrians, vehicular traffic, or even those illegal dirt bike riders/off-road vehicles get hurt, too.
"It's dangerous what [the riders] do - they confront you, they taunt you - they want you to interact," Sarno continued. "So please, avoid it, but please, report it."
The mayor added that if the petition passed, efforts would still be made to connect stolen bikes with their proper owners.
He also had a prop in tow to drive home his point – a sledgehammer he hopes to one day swing at a seized dirt bike, destined to be destroyed rather than put up for auction and potentially return to the rider it was taken from.
“We have made a tremendous amount of inroads in knocking down the number [of off-road vehicle cases], but we're going to send a message - if we get this legislation passed - the mayors and I will be the first ones to take this sledgehammer to those dirt bikes,” he said.
Springfield Police Superintendent Larry Akers says while it’s somewhat early in the season, his office is already being flooded with complaints about dirt bikes “wreaking havoc” on city roadways.
And like he has in previous press conferences, Akers re-emphasized that if you find yourself surrounded by a group of riders – don’t engage.
“… we do not want you to take it [into] in your own hands,” he said, echoing the mayor’s call. “You can't knock them off their motorcycle because they're in your way and they're holding you up. Just wait. They're not going to hang around - they want to ride, they want to get out there, they want to joy ride. They want to do what they do. Please, let them do what they do - we do not want any citizens getting hurt … we don't want any motorcyclists getting hurt, so please, make a phone call, we will respond to the best of our ability, but let law enforcement handle the situation.”
