“This has been a challenge for a couple of years,” said Blaine Police Chief Brian Podany.
State patrol and other authorities have made large swaths of arrests in Minneapolis and St. Paul in recent months as part of a larger crackdown. Podany said the most-often targeted sites for these types of gathering are industrial sites along the Radisson Road corridor, the 95th Avenue North Park-n-Ride lot, and even an auto parts store parking lot near Northtown Mall.
“They’ll take over the parking lot, and they’ll damage property,” said Podany.
The only apparent evidence of the racing activity at the Park-n-Ride was a series of tire skid marks in the far corners of the lot.
Podany and city staff have worked together to draft a new ordinance that makes it illegal to have two or more cars engaged in this type of driving and racing–and it would also allow police to charge any spectators gathered to watch.
“We want people to get together, and we want them to do it in a healthy fashion,” said Podany. “What we’re seeing is not healthy gatherings.”
There was no precedent for this type of ordinance in the state, currently, said Podany. He said city staff looked at similar ordinances in Texas for guidance. City council passed first reading of the ordinance at its August 1st meeting.
“I’ve already had inquiries from other chiefs across the metro area and across the state,” said Podany. “They’re asking for copies of it because they might propose something in their own communities.”
