Retired New York Police Department Chief of Department John Chell told Newsmax Friday that a lack of consequences is fueling street takeovers in major U.S. cities.
New York; Chicago; and Washington, D.C., have seen coordinated takeovers in which groups of cars, mopeds, and dirt bikes shut down intersections and perform stunts.
In Chicago, a car exploded early April 19 during what police described as a street takeover in the Gresham neighborhood; no injuries were reported and no arrests were made.
Earlier this month in Washington, Metro Transit Police arrested four people after a crowd swarmed the Navy Yard waterfront, one of several gatherings that prompted the city to establish a juvenile curfew zone in the area.
Chell told "The Record With Greta Van Susteren" that the problem is not police capability but a lack of follow-through after arrests, with drivers often facing little or no penalty.
"Common denominator means no consequences," he said. "That's why it's happening."
Chell said New York has wrestled with the problem for roughly four to five years and that the department developed what he described as a robust strategy to target the roving groups during his tenure.
He said officers pulled more than 100,000 vehicles off city streets over three years, a figure he attributed to sustained, targeted enforcement.
Chell argued the strategy works only if it is paired with follow-through in the courts.
He said detectives are spending time making arrests that do not result in meaningful penalties, leaving officers to repeat the same work against the same drivers.
Chell said authorities should use asset forfeiture to take the vehicles involved and jail the drivers at Rikers Island for about a week.
"I guarantee you that person won't be doing doughnuts in the streets of New York City," he said.
Chell said the issue is political will, not policing tactics, and that cities that tolerate repeat offenders will continue to see the takeovers grow.
He said the New York approach worked because officers were able to "get after it" and "stay on top of it" and argued the takeovers will keep spreading in cities where drivers face no penalty after arrest.
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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