U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

www.cops.usdoj.gov

Street Racing

by Kenneth J. Peak

Ronald W. Glensor

Problem-Oriented Guides for Police 

Problem-Specific Guides Series No. 28
www.PopCenter.org

Got a Problem? We’ve got answers!

Log onto the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing website

at www.popcenter.org for a wealth of information to help

you deal more effectively with crime and disorder in your

community, including:

• Web-enhanced versions of all currently available Guides

• Interactive training exercises

• On-line access to research and police practices

• On-line problem analysis module

Designed for police and those who work with them to

address community problems, www.popcenter.org is a great

resource in problem-oriented policing.

Supported by the Office of Community Oriented Policing

Services, U.S. Department of Justice.

Center for Problem-Oriented Policing
Street Racing

Kenneth J. Peak

Ronald W. Glensor

This project was supported by cooperative agreement

#2002CKWX0003 by the Office of Community Oriented Policing

Services, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions contained herein

are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the

official position of the U.S. Department of Justice.

www.cops.usdoj.gov

ISBN: 1-932582-42-8

December 2004

Problem-Oriented Guides for Police 

Problem-Specific Guides Series

Guide No. 28

About the Problem-Specific Guides Series i

About the Problem-Specific Guides Series

The Problem-Specific Guides summarize knowledge about

how police can reduce the harm caused by specific crime

and disorder problems. They are guides to prevention and

to improving the overall response to incidents, not to

investigating offenses or handling specific incidents. The

guides are written for police–of whatever rank or

assignment–who must address the specific problem the

guides cover. The guides will be most useful to officers

who

• Understand basic problem-oriented policing

principles and methods. The guides are not primers in

problem-oriented policing. They deal only briefly with

the initial decision to focus on a particular problem,

methods to analyze the problem, and means to assess

the results of a problem-oriented policing project. They

are designed to help police decide how best to analyze

and address a problem they have already identified. (An

assessment guide has been produced as a companion to

this series and the COPS Office has also published an

introductory guide to problem analysis. For those who

want to learn more about the principles and methods of

problem-oriented policing, the assessment and analysis

guides, along with other recommended readings, are

listed at the back of this guide.)

• Can look at a problem in depth. Depending on the

complexity of the problem, you should be prepared to

spend perhaps weeks, or even months, analyzing and

responding to it. Carefully studying a problem before

responding helps you design the right strategy, one that

is most likely to work in your community. You should

not blindly adopt the responses others have used; you

must decide whether they are appropriate to your local

situation. What is true in one place may not be true
ii Street Racing

elsewhere; what works in one place may not work

everywhere.

• Are willing to consider new ways of doing police

business. The guides describe responses that other

police departments have used or that researchers have

tested. While not all of these responses will be

appropriate to your particular problem, they should help

give a broader view of the kinds of things you could do.

You may think you cannot implement some of these

responses in your jurisdiction, but perhaps you can. In

many places, when police have discovered a more

effective response, they have succeeded in having laws

and policies changed, improving the response to the

problem.

• Understand the value and the limits of research

knowledge. For some types of problems, a lot of useful

research is available to the police; for other problems, little

is available. Accordingly, some guides in this series

summarize existing research whereas other guides illustrate

the need for more research on that particular problem.

Regardless, research has not provided definitive answers to

all the questions you might have about the problem. The

research may help get you started in designing your own

responses, but it cannot tell you exactly what to do. This

will depend greatly on the particular nature of your local

problem. In the interest of keeping the guides readable, not

every piece of relevant research has been cited, nor has

every point been attributed to its sources. To have done so

would have overwhelmed and distracted the reader. The

references listed at the end of each guide are those drawn

on most heavily; they are not a complete bibliography of

research on the subject.
About the Problem-Specific Guides Series iii

• Are willing to work with other community agencies

to find effective solutions to the problem. The police

alone cannot implement many of the responses

discussed in the guides. They must frequently implement

them in partnership with other responsible private and

public entities. An effective problem-solver must know

how to forge genuine partnerships with others and be

prepared to invest considerable effort in making these

partnerships work.

These guides have drawn on research findings and police

practices in the United States, the United Kingdom,

Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and

Scandinavia. Even though laws, customs and police

practices vary from country to country, it is apparent that

the police everywhere experience common problems. In a

world that is becoming increasingly interconnected, it is

important that police be aware of research and successful

practices beyond the borders of their own countries.

The COPS Office and the authors encourage you to

provide feedback on this guide and to report on your own

agency's experiences dealing with a similar problem. Your

agency may have effectively addressed a problem using

responses not considered in these guides and your

experiences and knowledge could benefit others. This

information will be used to update the guides. If you wish

to provide feedback and share your experiences it should

be sent via e-mail to cops_pubs@usdoj.gov.
iv Street Racing

For more information about problem-oriented policing,

visit the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing online at

www.popcenter.org or via the COPS website at

www.cops.usdoj.gov. This website offers free online access to:

• the Problem-Specific Guides series,

• the companion Response Guides and Problem-Solving Tools

series,

• instructional information about problem-oriented policing

and related topics,

• an interactive training exercise,

• online access to important police research and practices,

and

• on-line problem analysis module.
Acknowledgments v

Acknowledgments

The Problem-Oriented Guides for Police are very much a

collaborative effort. While each guide has a primary

author, other project team members, COPS Office staff

and anonymous peer reviewers contributed to each guide

by proposing text, recommending research and offering

suggestions on matters of format and style.

The principal project team developing the guide series

comprised Herman Goldstein, professor emeritus,

University of Wisconsin Law School; Ronald V. Clarke,

professor of criminal justice, Rutgers University; John E.

Eck, professor of criminal justice, University of

Cincinnati; Michael S. Scott, clinical assistant professor,

University of Wisconsin Law School; Rana Sampson,

police consultant, San Diego; and Deborah Lamm Weisel,

director of police research, North Carolina State

University.

Karin Schmerler, Rita Varano and Nancy Leach oversaw

the project for the COPS Office. Rebecca Kanable edited

the guide. Research for the guides was conducted at the

Criminal Justice Library at Rutgers University under the

direction of Phyllis Schultze.

The project team also wishes to acknowledge the members

of the San Diego, National City and Savannah police

departments who provided feedback on the guides' format

and style in the early stages of the project, as well as the

line police officers, police executives and researchers who

peer reviewed each guide.

Contents

About the Problem-Specific Guides Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v

The Problem of Street Racing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Related Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Factors Contributing to Street Racing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Understanding Your Local Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Asking the Right Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Data Gathering and Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Tracking Racing Websites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Incidents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Victims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Offenders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Locations/Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Current Responses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Measuring Your Effectiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Responses to the Problem of Street Racing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

General Considerations for an Effective Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Specific Responses to Street Racing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Responses With Limited Effectiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Appendix: Summary of Responses to Street Racing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

About the Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Recommended Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Other Problem-Oriented Guides for Police . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Contents vii

The Problem of Street Racing 1

The Problem of Street Racing

The guide begins by describing the problem of street

racing and reviewing factors that contribute to it. The

guide then identifies a series of questions that might assist

you in analyzing your local street racing problem. Finally,

the guide reviews responses to the problem and what is

known about these from evaluative research and police

practice.

While street racing and cruising share some common

characteristics, there are important differences between the

two activities and those who participate in them.† Cruising

typically involves an older crowd, and is a highly public

and largely nostalgic event that is often confined to

downtown areas. Cruising can also provide an economic

boost to the community.†† Street racing typically involves a

younger crowd that conducts its activities in an

underground fashion to avoid police attention and

presents significant risks of serious personal injury.

Related Problems

Police must also address other problems related to street

racing, which are not directly addressed in this guide.

Other problems that may call for separate analysis and

responses include:

• auto theft†††,

• assaults (including assaults in retaliation for failure to

pay racing bets1

),

• cruising,

• curfew violations,

• drunken driving and driving under the influence of

drugs,

† See the POP Guide on Cruising.

†† Northern Nevada's "Hot August

Nights" event, for example,

generates $132 million for the Reno

and Sparks economies, and brings

more than a half million people to

the area during the weeklong event

(RRC Associates, 2003).

††† Hondas, Acuras, and other

preferred racing vehicles are among

the top five makes of vehicles stolen

nationally (Sloan, 2004).
2 Street Racing

• gang-related activity,

• insurance fraud (relating to racers betting on

outcomes),†

• illegal vehicle modification (e.g., smog control

alteration),

• illicit gambling,

• noise complaints,

• public intoxication/urination and other public order

offenses,

• theft and fencing of auto parts,

• thefts from autos,

• trespassing, and

• vandalism and littering.

The American street-racing tradition dates back to the

1950s, and has long been a staple of Hollywood movies,

including films such as "Rebel Without a Cause" (1955),

"American Graffiti" (1973), and "Grease" (1978). But no

movie did more to boost the popularity of street racing

than the 2001 surprise hit, "The Fast and the Furious,"

which grossed nearly $80 million in its first 10 days in

theaters and includes spectacular racing scenes and daring

stunts (including one where a car swerves back and forth

beneath a speeding tractor-trailer).2 Although the movie

studio issued public service announcements that

encouraged safe and legal driving, the film likely provided

fresh inspiration to street racers.††

The street racing population consists of several distinct

demographic groupings. One is estimated to be between

18 and 24 years of age, generally living at home and

typically having little income.3 Another group involves

predominantly older (25 to 40 years of age) white males

who engage in building and racing the older types of

† For example, a racer wagers his

car's racing wheels or custom seat

covers and loses; he then files a

police report and insurance claim

stating the items were stolen in

order to obtain a new set; or, a racer

who blows an engine will abandon

the vehicle and then report it stolen,

to acquire money for a replacement

(Sloan, 2004).

†† A 78-year-old man was killed in

Los Angeles by a speeding driver

who had just seen the movie, and in

Redwood City, California, officers

arrested six men caught racing down

Interstate 280 at more than 120

miles per hour; all had ticket stubs

from the film in their pockets

(Squatriglia and Nevius, 2003). In

San Diego County, California, where

the movie was made, 15 people were

killed in racing-related incidents in

the year after the movie's release

(Reno, 2002).
The Problem of Street Racing 3

"muscle cars:" Corvettes, Camaros, Mustangs, and so on.

Asian and Hispanic males of a wide range of ages and

driving later model imported cars–such as Hondas, Acuras,

Mitsubishis, and Nissans–are another group.4 Presently, the

latter group dominates the street racing scene.5

Police suspect that many racers engage in illegal activities

in order to finance their hobby; some agencies report that

stolen vehicles have been stripped of parts that were later

recovered from street racing vehicles.6 Whether by lawful

or unlawful means, many racers feel they must devote

huge sums of money to "soup up" their race cars; a major

upgrade, with supercharger blowers, nitrous oxide systems,

and other high-performance equipment can easily exceed

$10,000.7 For many racers, getting the maximum

performance out of their cars is very important to them

and they will expend a tremendous amount of time,

money, and effort toward that end.8

Many street racers spend large amounts of money

upgrading their cars' performance.

quebecstreetracing.org
4 Street Racing

How dangerous is street racing? Data are difficult to

obtain, because neither the federal government nor the

insurance industry tracks related casualties, nor is software

yet available for creating a database of street racing.9

However, measures are being taken in some jurisdictions

to address this shortcoming and are discussed below. One

unofficial estimate, derived from examining news reports

and police data from 10 major cities and extrapolating on

the basis of national population figures, is that at least 50

people die each year as a result of street racing.10 Although

related deaths are difficult to quantify, media reports

confirm that street racing takes its toll on innocent people

as well as street racers, passengers, and onlookers.

At the root of the problem is the fact that youths have

always had, according to one scholar, a "profound need

for speed."11 This love of speed is not restricted to the

youth of the United States; indeed, the problem has

reached serious levels in Canada, Australia, Germany,

England, France, New Zealand, and Turkey.12 In Canada,

where a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer was killed

by a racer in 200213 and another 18 people died in the

Toronto area in street racing incidents during a four-year

period,14 a new law was introduced in which street racing is

an aggravating factor when sentencing persons convicted

of dangerously or negligently operating a motor vehicle.15

In Vancouver, British Columbia, street racing can include

an activity known as a "hat race," also known as a

"kamikaze" or "cannonball run," in which drivers put

money in a hat; the money is taken to an undisclosed

location from which a call is made, informing the drivers

where the cash awaits. The first driver to get there wins all

the money. Pedestrians have been killed during such

races.16
The Problem of Street Racing 5

Today in the United States, the racing tradition replays

itself during every weekend in thousands of communities

in the nation. The primary difference today is that street

races are extraordinarily brazen and elaborately

orchestrated functions, involving flaggers; timekeepers;

lookouts equipped with computers mounted in their cars,

cell phones, police scanners, two-way radios, and walkietalkies; and websites that announce race locations and

even calculate the odds of getting caught by the police.17

Some websites even provide recaps of the previous night's

races, complete with ratings of police presence, crowd

size, and a link to the police agency so the curious can see

if a warrant has been issued for their arrest.18

Street races typically involve racers and spectators meeting

at a popular gathering place, often on a relatively remote

street in an industrial area. Here they decide where to race;

they then convoy to the site, where a one-eighth or onequarter mile track is marked off. Cars line up at the

starting line, where a starter stands between them and

drops his or her hands to begin the race. Several hundred

spectators may be watching. Unlike racetracks that allow

spectators to observe races in a safe, closed environment,

Race starters and observers are often positioned very close to the racing vehicles, putting

themselves at considerable risk of injury.

SDStreetracing.com
6 Street Racing

these illegal street races encourage spectators to stand near

possibly inexperienced drivers and poorly maintained

vehicles–a combination that can be deadly for onlookers

standing a few feet away from vehicles racing at highway

speed.19 Other peripheral activities may be involved as

well. For example, racers and spectators engage in what

are termed "sideshows," such as using vehicles and

onlookers to block off an intersection and thus backing

up regular vehicular traffic for considerable distances and

preventing the police from arriving at the scene; then the

racers at the intersection engage in 360° burnouts, races,

and so on.20 Racers also participate in what is termed the

"centipede," where they form a convoy of vehicles and

play follow-the-leader, darting in and around normal

traffic at high speeds. Or, they may speed around corners

to see how far they can slide their tires.

Street racing can also be unorganized and sporadic in

nature, involving impromptu, one-time races between

persons who do not know one another; the police

generally have little means for dealing with these types of

racers other than utilizing the media to make it very clear

that, if caught, the violators will be severely prosecuted.21

The specific harms caused by street racing include:

• vehicle crashes (deaths and injuries to drivers,

passengers, onlookers, or innocent bystanders; and

property damage);

• noise (from racing vehicles and crowds);

• vandalism and litter at racing locations (including

businesses where racers commonly gather);

• loss of commercial revenue (if racing crowds obstruct

or intimidate potential customers); and
The Problem of Street Racing 7

• excess wear and tear on public streets (painted street

markings commonly are damaged by the burning rubber

of vehicle tires).22

Retaliatory offenses may also occur, such as when citizens

try to deal with the problem themselves by placing nails on

the ground where racers congregate or vandalizing racers'

cars, for example.

Factors Contributing to Street Racing

Understanding the factors that contribute to your problem

will help you frame your own local analysis questions,

determine good effectiveness measures, recognize key

intervention points, and select appropriate responses.

Crashes caused by street racing are often spectacular

and cause serious injury and property damage.

Marion (Ind.) Chronicle-Tribune
8 Street Racing

There are several reasons why street racing can become, or

remain over time, a popular pastime in a community:

• It provides an unsupervised activity and environment.

• It attracts people who are too young for bars or other

adult-only activities (especially in cities having a dearth

of alternatives for their youth).

• It affords a means of socializing with friends.

• It provides a means of showing off one's motor vehicle

and driving ability.

• It provides drivers, passengers, and onlookers the

exhilaration of speed.23

Roadway location and design can also contribute to street

racing. For example, a roadway located in a remote,

perhaps industrial, area that is straight, wide, and close to

arterial streets (for quick getaways from the police) will be

favored by street racers.24 The existence of car clubs

and/or gangs in an area can also create or exacerbate a

community's street racing problems.25
Understanding Your Local Problem 9

Understanding Your Local Problem

The information provided above is only a generalized

description of street racing. You must combine the basic

facts with a more specific understanding of your local

problem. Analyzing the local problem carefully will help

you design a more effective response strategy.

Asking the Right Questions

Data Gathering and Analysis

A shortcoming at present is the lack of dedicated coding

and analysis of street racing data in most police agencies.

No software presently exists for the identification and

analysis of racing offenses, and agencies must typically

hand search their records for higher-level analyses. Others

have a dedicated calls-for-service code specifically for

racing issues that the officers can use for reporting and

communications personnel can query. A problem that can

arise with such coding, however, is that it may fail to

include other offenses that flow from, or arise out of,

illegal racing (auto thefts, other thefts, assaults, trespassing,

and so on), or to provide information about groups that

gather at retail parking lots. At a minimum, the crime

analysis unit or communications section should be

contacted to determine how many personnel hours are

spent at racing locations, including days of the week and

times of day. Furthermore, the agency is advised to create

at least a rudimentary database or modify existing records

management systems so that street racing-related activity

(including crimes, disturbances, traffic and pedestrian

stops, vehicle and pedestrian traffic congestion, traffic

crashes, arrests, etc.) can be tracked. If such a database
10 Street Racing

does not exist, you may have to manually search through

individual complaint records and police reports to

determine which are related to street racing.

California Agencies' Efforts to Obtain Racing Data

Police in California have been attempting for years to convince the state to

alter its accident investigation form to include coding for street racing.

Once the procedure is developed statewide, agencies will be able to obtain

reliable data. Until the new form is developed, the California Highway

Patrol has disseminated a training memo instructing local officers where to

include a racing-related notation. The key for California agencies, and

eventually for other agencies nationwide, will be to provide officers with

necessary training. Most officers are unfamiliar with street racing codes,

rules, and laws; therefore, as the ability is expanded for agencies to track

racing incidents, if the responding or investigating officer is not properly

trained, a concern is that the proper boxes on the form will not be

completed. The San Diego Police Department presently offers training in

this regard; thus far, about 2,000 officers have been trained in how to

determine when a racing relationship exists with a reported incident.26

In Milpitas, California, each time an officer is either dispatched to any type

of call for service or initiates any activity (e.g., traffic or pedestrian stops,

arrests, citation, accepting a report of a crime, etc.), at the conclusion of

that activity, the officer is required to provide the communications division

with a classification code that identifies the specific type of activity. As with

all other offenses, a specific classification was simply developed that

includes street racing incidents. Race-related traffic enforcement stops;

disturbances of any kind involving racers; crimes in which racers are listed

as suspects; or other circumstances in which individuals are actively racing

at, loitering about, or traversing to and from common racing venues are

examples of such classifications.27
Understanding Your Local Problem 11

Tracking Racing Websites

Several race-related websites exist that may be used by the

police to track racers' activities as well as provide useful

information to racers. For example, Streetracing.com

provides racing and club news, articles, events, calendars,

chatrooms, message boards, auctions, and other

information for many cities and states. The Specialty

Equipment Market Association (SEMA) is a 5,000-member

trade organization for the aftermarket industry; although

SEMA often mounts strong opposition to police efforts

and proposed racing legislation, it may offer another

avenue to reach racers through the retailers who sell

parts.28 Others, such as RaceLegal.com and the National

Hot Rod Association's NHRA.com, focus more on

encouraging legal racing, and attempt to educate their

readers about related laws and statistics (e.g., numbers of

illegal racers who were recently killed, injured, cited,

arrested, or who had vehicles seized or licenses revoked).

The following are some critical questions you should ask

in analyzing your particular street racing problem, even if

the answers are not always readily available. Your answers

to these and other questions will help you choose the most

appropriate set of responses later on.

Incidents

• What is the level of calls for service and complaints

attributable to street racing in the area? What,

specifically, is the nature of these calls and complaints? 

• How many vehicle crashes are related to street racing?

• How, specifically, does street racing contribute to these

crashes? Racing vehicles crash into one another? Into

stationary objects or pedestrians adjacent to the

roadway? Into non-participating vehicles?
12 Street Racing

• What percentage of these crashes involves fatalities,

personal injuries, and property damage? Hit-and-run

accidents?

• Are younger, less experienced drivers more likely to be

involved in vehicle crashes?

• How many passengers are typically in racing vehicles?

• Is traffic congestion caused by street racing impeding

emergency traffic (e.g., ambulance and fire vehicles)?

• Do business owners report decreasing revenues as a

direct result of racers and spectators gathering on their

premises?

• Have there been any local occurrences (e.g., the closure

of a local legitimate "drag strip") or issues that may

have resulted in increasing street racing incidents?

• Have there been reports of retaliatory offenses against

street racers?

Victims

• Who is harmed by street racing (e.g., street racers,

passengers, onlookers, innocent motorists, innocent

bystanders, business owners, residents)?

• What is known about the victims of street racingrelated incidents (e.g., demographics, their involvement

in street racing)? 

• How many people have been killed or injured as a

result of street racing? What is the nature and

seriousness of those injuries? (You may want to

examine hospital emergency room records because not

all crash-related or assault injuries are reported to

police.)

• What is the public's opinion of street racing? Do

people want street racing stopped or merely controlled

in a legal setting? (Public opinion may be expressed in

letters to the editor, surveys, meetings, informal

conversations, formal complaints, and so forth.)
Understanding Your Local Problem 13

Offenders

• What is known about street racers, their passengers,

and onlookers? (Age, ethnicity, group affiliation?)

• If there are organized groups involved in street racing,

are they criminal gangs? Are there tensions and

confrontations between various groups involved in

street racing? 

• Why do street racers say they race (e.g., lack of

alternative activities, for social reasons, to show off

their cars, for the thrill of speed, etc.)?

• Do the participants include unsupervised youths who

are on the streets in violation of a curfew?

• Where do the racers live? Are they local or from out of

town?

• What percentage of persons cited or arrested for street

racing are repeat offenders?

• Who are the worst offenders?

• Are street racers operating unsafe vehicles or vehicles

that have undergone major modifications in order to

maximize their speed?

Locations/Times

• What is the nature of the area where street racing

occurs (commercial, industrial, residential, open

highway, etc.)?

• How much pedestrian traffic is there in the area where

street racing occurs? What other special hazards are

there in the area where street racing occurs?

• Where are traffic crashes occurring that appear to be

related to street racing? 

• Where is the major street racing-related traffic volume

in the city?
14 Street Racing

• Where are the hot spots, and how many related

offenses have occurred (such as disturbances; assaults;

and weapons, liquor, drug, curfew, noise, vandalism,

littering, trespassing, graffiti, and traffic violations)?

• Where are the preliminary gathering places for racers

and spectators?

• In which area(s) does street racing occur? What are the

means of ingress and egress into the area? Does the

racing occur in residential or industrial areas? On

public streets, or state or federal highways? Privately

owned roadways? 

• Is the racing concentrated in business areas, or

residential areas, or both? 

• Why are the most concentrated racing locations

attractive to street racers?

• Is adequate lighting in these areas?

• When does street racing typically occur (time of day,

day of week, time of month or year, during certain

holidays or special events)?

Current Responses

• Are there adequate state and local laws for meeting the

needs of the police in addressing street racing

problems?

• Have stakeholders been identified and partnerships

forged for dealing with the problem?

• Do adequate resources exist for dealing with the

problem?
Understanding Your Local Problem 15

Measuring Your Effectiveness

Measurement allows you to determine to what degree your

efforts have succeeded, and suggests how you might

modify your responses if they are not producing the

intended results. You should take measures of your

problem before you implement responses, to determine how

serious the problem is, and after you implement them, to

determine whether they have been effective. All measures

should be taken in both the target area and the

surrounding area. (For more detailed guidance on

measuring effectiveness, see the companion guide to this

series, Assessing Responses to Problems: An Introductory Guide

for Police Problem-Solvers.) 

The following are potentially useful measures of the

effectiveness of responses to street racing:

• reduced numbers of various street racing-related

offenses;

• reduced numbers of calls for service concerning street

racing, both in the racing area and across the

jurisdiction;

• reduced numbers of racers and spectators, if any, who

are returning to their old racing spots;

• reduced number and severity of injuries attributable to

street racing;

• reduced numbers of juveniles in violation of existing

curfew and other laws;

• increased satisfaction of complainants; and

• increased profitability of businesses previously harmed

by street racing.
16 Street Racing

You should be alert to the possibility that your responses

to street racing might displace racers and related offenses,

either geographically or to other types of crimes. This

might not be all bad if the displacement results in less

overall harm. Crime and call-for-service data as well as

websites should be monitored both locally and in other

jurisdictions to determine whether racers are merely taking

their activities to other venues.
Responses to the Problem of Street Racing 17

Responses to the Problem of Street

Racing

Your analysis of your local problem should give you a

better understanding of the factors contributing to it.

Once you have analyzed your local problem and

established a baseline for measuring effectiveness, you

should consider possible responses to address the

problem.

The following response strategies provide a foundation of

ideas for addressing your particular problem. These

strategies are drawn from a variety of research studies and

police reports. There is little published research about

street racing; most of what is known is drawn from police

practice. Several of these strategies may apply to your

community's problem. It is critical that you tailor

responses to local circumstances, and that you can justify

each response based on reliable analysis. In most cases, an

effective strategy will involve implementing several

different responses. Law enforcement responses alone are

seldom effective in reducing or solving the problem. Do

not limit yourself to considering what police can do: give

careful consideration to who in your community shares

responsibility for the problem and can help police better

respond to it.

General Considerations for an Effective Strategy

1. Enlisting community support for addressing the

problem. Broad-based coalitions that incorporate the

interests of the community are recommended. A

combined effort will maximize the effects of responses

and enhance the likelihood of success. The involvement
18 Street Racing

and support of public officials, citizens, and business

owners will be essential for the success of most, if not all,

of the specific responses listed below.

Enlisting community support might include using

members of a police Explorer post, citizens' police

academy, senior citizens' groups, merchant association, and

so on to report racers' activities to police.29 Community

support might also come from those who provide racers

with their equipment, including shops selling highperformance car parts, and who are at risk for being

burglarized for these parts. Although these shop owners

may not wish to cooperate, if so inclined, they can be of

considerable assistance in informing the police about

racers' illegal activities.

2. Educating and warning street racers. Street racers

can be informed about the dangers and legal consequences

of racing, as well as police enforcement intentions. Among

the media you can use are street racing websites (on which

they commonly announce past and future events, host chat

rooms, and have message boards), police agency websites,

newspapers, television, radio, and personal contacts with

street racers. A publicity campaign about the problem and

enforcement actions has been central to many efforts to

combat street racing problems. Performance shop owners

also might be asked to provide customers information

about existing laws and potential penalties for racing.

3. Conducting surveillance of the street racing scene.

Street racers can be quite sophisticated in their efforts to

avoid detection by police. Unmarked police vehicles,

plainclothes officers, and video equipment may be covertly

used to observe racers' movements and methods and to

determine the problems they create, where they live, the
Responses to the Problem of Street Racing 19

† The San Diego Police Department

trains insurance investigators in

matters concerning racing (Sloan,

2004).

kinds of cars they drive, license plate numbers, and so on.

This allows for pre-race intervention, access to race areas

to be closed off, and participants to later be charged.

Racers' use of police scanners can be thwarted by using

radio code words, in-car computers, and specially

programmed cell phones. For example, one police agency

programmed some cellular phones with a group-talk

feature so that the officers and dispatchers could

communicate effectively without using the police radio

frequency when dealing with racer issues.30 Marked units

and uniformed personnel can then be called in to assist

with any arrests. During undercover surveillances, police

can videotape illegal street races and participants; later,

crime reports can be written for each race and used to

prepare arrest warrants for drivers and court orders for

vehicle seizures.31 Street racing websites can also be

monitored for tracking racers' activities and

communication.

4. Encouraging others to exercise informal control

over street racing participants. You may identify certain

groups, organizations, or individuals who have the

potential to exert significant influence over the behavior of

street racing participants. For example, if street racing

participants are high school students, school

administrators might be persuaded to suspend or revoke

the parking privileges of students identified as participants

in or spectators of street racing incidents. Insurance

companies, which also have an interest in the problem,

may be persuaded not to pay claims for damages if the

claimant was participating in racing.† Parents of street

racing participants, properly educated about the dangers of

street racing, may be encouraged to get more involved in

controlling their children's behavior.
20 Street Racing

Specific Responses to Street Racing

Enforcement 

5. Enforcing ordinances and statutes. You should

review existing ordinances and statutes to determine

whether police have adequate enforcement authority. Laws

likely to be enforced against drivers include

racing/reckless driving, driving under the influence of

alcohol or drugs, and driving with suspended/revoked

licenses. In some jurisdictions police officers and vehicle

emission enforcement agents jointly conduct smog

equipment inspections on street racing vehicles, issue the

owner a citation if the equipment was disconnected or

modified, and even order the vehicle removed from the

street until it is brought into compliance with the law.32

Officers might also attempt to identify people in the

emissions testing industry who issue fraudulent emission

certificates for the illegally modified vehicles.33 Drivers

should be checked for proof of insurance and vehicle

registration. Officers can work with automotive experts to

identify street racing vehicles that have been illegally

enhanced or altered, or have mechanical defects.

Enforcement against non-drivers might include violations

for trespassing on private property of adjacent businesses,

obstructing traffic (if standing in the roadway), or aiding

in a speed contest (for people acting as starters for races).

Dedicated race patrol teams may be necessary for

concentrated enforcement during peak racing times.34

Enforcement of curfew laws might also reduce the

numbers of juveniles present at racing venues.
Responses to the Problem of Street Racing 21

Following are some examples of how many police

agencies have been aided with newly enacted ordinances

and statutes in their attempts to prevent and address street

racing:

• In California, a conviction for engaging in a "speed

contest" (defined as a motor vehicle racing against

another vehicle or being timed by a clock or other

device) consists of a fine up to $1,000 plus penalty

assessments, up to 90 days in jail, or both. The

perpetrator's license may be suspended or restricted for

up to six months, and a police officer may impound a

vehicle when the driver is arrested for engaging in a

speed contest, for reckless driving, or for

demonstrating exhibit of speed (for example, peeling or

screeching of tires due to hard acceleration). A vehicle

can be impounded for up to 30 days, and it costs the

offender $1,500 to retrieve it. Persons who aid or abet

any speed contest (such as a person who flags the start

of the race or places a barricade on the highway) can

be charged with a misdemeanor.35

• The State of Texas enacted harsher penalties for street

racing in 2003. The new law made street racing a more

serious violation, punishable by up to six months in jail

and a $2,000 fine for both drivers and passengers; and

up to a $4,000 fine and one year in jail if the driver was

intoxicated, had an open container of alcohol in the

vehicle, or had previously been convicted of the same

offense. Spectators can be cited and fined up to $500 as

well.
22 Street Racing

• Street racers can be charged with engaging in a speed

contest and reckless driving, fined up to $1,000, and

sentenced to six months in jail in Reno, Nevada.

Spectators within 200 feet of an illegal street race can

also be arrested and fined up to $200. The driver's

vehicle can be impounded and storage fees assessed at

$50 per day.36

• The City of Fremont, California banned all traffic

between 10 PM and 6 AM on 10 roads popular with

street racers and allowed police to impound the

vehicles of both drivers and spectators.37

• The City of Santee, California made it unlawful for any

individual to be a spectator (within 200 feet) at an

illegal speed contest, or where preparations are being

made for an illegal speed contest; violators are subject

to fines of up to $1,000 and six months in jail.

6. Impounding and/or forfeiting vehicles used for

street racing. Vehicles may be impounded and a fee

assessed in order for the owner to retrieve the vehicle

under an ordinance when the driver is arrested for

engaging in a speed contest, for reckless driving, or for

demonstrating exhibit of speed (e.g., peeling or screeching

of tires due to hard acceleration). A vehicle forfeiture

ordinance may be enacted to declare a vehicle a nuisance

and it can be permanently seized if it was used in a race or

exhibition of speed and the driver has a prior conviction

for certain serious driving offenses (such as reckless

driving or evading officers).

• The City of San Diego was among the first to pass a

vehicle forfeiture ordinance, in 2003. A vehicle will be

declared a nuisance and permanently seized if it was

used in a race or exhibition of speed and the driver has

a prior conviction for certain serious driving offenses

(such as reckless driving or evading officers).38
Responses to the Problem of Street Racing 23

• The City Council of Los Angeles soon followed San

Diego's example, also approving vehicle-forfeiture

legislation. The vehicles are auctioned off and the

money deposited into the city's general fund.

Furthermore, police in both the City of Los Angeles

and Los Angeles County can arrest spectators on a

misdemeanor. In July 2003, the first man to be

convicted under the Los Angeles law was sentenced to

18 months' probation and 10 days community service.39

The city uses state Bureau of Automotive Repair

investigators to inspect vehicles suspected of being

illegally modified by their owners; a city ordinance

prohibits disconnection, modification, or alteration of

pollution control devices, and cited drivers must return

their vehicles to their original factory specifications.40

• The City of Stockton, California, also targeted

offenders' vehicles rather than the drivers, relying on

the aforementioned state statute allowing the police to

seize for 30 days vehicles that were used in reckless

driving incidents.41

7. Encouraging private businesses to adopt measures

that will help address the problem. Owners and

managers of popular street racing gathering places (where

street racers meet and plan their activities, show off their

cars, socialize, and the problems begin to occur) must be

enlisted in efforts to discourage street racing activity.

Among the helpful measures are: posting "no trespassing"

signs and authorizing police to enforce them, limiting

after-hours access, employing private security during

weekends, and closing earlier.
24 Street Racing

8. Closing streets and/or altering or restricting traffic

flow and parking. Some jurisdictions have installed speed

humps, barricades, "k-railing" (concrete barricades), and

freeway message signs and billboards (both permanent and

temporary) to control, warn, and inform racers;42 others

authorize police to erect barricades and close streets when

racing becomes a problem.43 Such latitude affords police

the ability to move quickly to deal with problems as they

develop. Parking can be prohibited on public properties

and roadways in the race area to discourage spectators

from congregating along roadsides during prime racing

hours; offenders' vehicles can be towed.

Providing a Safe Alternative

9. Creating or encouraging racers' legal alternatives,

such as relocating to a legal racing area. Several cities

and counties have successfully addressed their illegal street

racing problem by creating, either on their own or in

collaboration with other organizations, a legal racing

venue. This is intended to divert people to a safer racing

Closing streets during peak racing times can help control street

racing without unnecessarily disrupting legitimate traffic.

Ontario (Calif.) Police Department
Responses to the Problem of Street Racing 25

environment, which allows racers to experience some of

the positive aspects of legal drag racing–the fun,

camaraderie, and excitement. Police can either align with

an existing national program (for example, Beat the Heat,

Racers Against Street Racing, the National Hot Rod

Association) that encourages safe, legal, on-track racing, or

implement their own local program.† Participant rules

should be in place, such as racers must possess a valid

driver's license and vehicle insurance, submit to vehicle

safety inspections, and refrain from any use of alcohol at

the event.44 

Following are examples of such efforts:

• Beat the Heat is a national Cops and Kids community

policing drag race program, which involves police

officers in 30 states and two Canadian provinces. As an

example, a police officer in Wewoka, Oklahoma

(population 4,000) initiated the program. The officer

races local men and women in his 1972 Chevrolet

Camaro (with a 545-horsepower engine) at a local track.

Teens can serve as honorary pit crew members for the

† See the Redding (Calif.) Police

Department street racing web page

at

www.reddingpolice.org/StreetLegal

Drags/

Legal, track-based alternatives to street racing are becoming more numerous.

Among them is "Project X", a program initiated in 1997 to bridge the gap

between police officers and high school aged street racers.

Novato (Calif.) Police Department
26 Street Racing

Camaro.45 The program originated in 1984 with the

Jacksonville, Florida, Sheriff's Department and has

grown rapidly; in 1999, more than 1 million young

people were given the message that they should go to

tracks to race their cars instead of racing in the street.46

• Concerned about illegal street racing and the dearth of

legal racing venues, automobile manufacturers, police

officials, racetrack owners, racers, automobile parts

manufacturers, and the media met in California in early

2001 and formed Racers Against Street Racing (RASR);

this organization is becoming a countrywide

phenomenon that is being tested in driver's education

classrooms and consists of a curriculum and video.

RASR addresses the realities of street racing, and

informs students about local street racing laws and legal

alternatives in local areas.47

• An officer in Redding, California obtained $4,000 from

local businesses to help start a racing program, "Street

Legal Drags," at a local drag strip in mid-2002. Soon

there were more than 200 cars (drivers paying $10 to

race) and more than 2,500 spectators (assessed $5 per

carload). Signs are posted informing racers how to

register their vehicles, proceed to the starting line, and

leave the track after the race. The Redding police

website explains the program and provides detailed

instructions for participants. Participants must have a

registered, insured, safety-inspected vehicle and a valid

driver's license; and no alcohol is allowed on the

premises.48

• Las Vegas, Nevada has Midnight Mayhem, Friday night

amateur drag races from 10 PM to 2 AM at the local

speedway's drag strip. The cost is $10 for drivers and $5

for spectators, and each night's activities include music,

car shows, and other events for the 2,500 spectators

and 400 drivers.49
Responses to the Problem of Street Racing 27

Responses With Limited Effectiveness

10. Installing speed bumps. The installation of speed

bumps can reduce or halt street racing, but they are

hazardous to emergency vehicles and large trucks. Speed

humps, on the other hand, which are more gradual than

speed bumps, permit vehicles to cross them safely at the

speed limit and create less risk to trucks and emergency

vehicles.

11. Arresting and charging spectators as race

participants. Arresting participants for unlawful assembly

or curfew violations can be ineffective if a local court

rules that street race spectators are not participants.

12. Citing and releasing racers. Issuing citations to

racers or spectators may be ineffective and a weak

deterrent, because many such individuals believe that a

citation is "just part of doing business." Furthermore,

some parents disagree with laws intended to curb racing

and believe that their children should be allowed to

observe such activities and will simply pay the fine for the

youth.50

13. Deploying decoy police vehicles. Placing "phantom

cars"–unoccupied marked police cars–in racing areas to

create the appearance of a police presence will generally

not be effective, and the vehicles may be vandalized.51

Appendix 29

Appendix: Summary of Responses to

Street Racing

The table below summarizes the responses to street racing,

the mechanism by which they are intended to work, the

conditions under which they ought to work best, and some

factors you should consider before implementing a

particular response. It is critical that you tailor responses

to local circumstances, and that you can justify each

response based on reliable analysis. In most cases, an

effective strategy will involve implementing several

different responses. Law enforcement responses alone are

seldom effective in reducing or solving the problem.

1.

2.

17

18

Enlisting

community

support for

addressing the

problem

Educating and

warning street

racers

Maximizes the

community

efforts by

involving people

as stakeholders

Informs the

street racers

about the nature

and extent of

the problem

from the

community,

police, legal, and

safety

perspectives

...public officials,

government

agencies,

insurance

companies,

business owners

(including car

parts stores), and

citizens are

involved in the

effort

...the racers are

informed of new

and existing

racing laws and

enforcement

actions to be

taken, and then

begin to fear

arrest

Involvement of

such individuals

and entities are

key to the

success of

responses that

are employed

Street racing and

police agency

websites,

newspapers,

television, radio,

and personal

contacts with

street racers may

be used

Response

No.

Page No. Response How It Works Works Best If... Considerations

General Considerations for an Effective Response Strategy
30 Street Racing

3.

4.

5.

6.

18

19

20

22

Conducting

surveillance of

the street racing

scene

Encouraging

others to

exercise informal

control over

street racing

participants

Enforcing

ordinances and

statutes 

Impounding

and/or forfeiting

vehicles used for

street racing

Allows police to

take preventive

action to

discourage street

racing and to

apprehend

violators by

providing them

with knowledge

about street

racing times,

locations, and

offenders

Persuades street

racing

participants to

cease or curtail

racing activity

through informal

social control

Deters offenders

through threat of

fines,

incarceration, or

seizure of

vehicles

Deters speed

racers through

threat of loss of

valuable

property and

means to race

...illegal races

are prevented

and access to

race areas are

blocked

...street racing

participants

respect the

opinions of

those seeking to

control their

behavior and/or

fear the

consequences of

failing to heed

informal

warnings

...enforcement is

sufficiently

certain that

offenders believe

they are likely to

be apprehended;

prosecutors are

willing to

prosecute and

judges impose

sufficient

sanctions

...the ordinance

is widely

publicized to

deter illegal

racing, and an

impound fee is

assessed in order

for the driver to

reclaim the

vehicle

Officers may

encounter staffing

shortages for

large-scale

operations; if

racers become

aware of police

tactics, it will

become more

difficult to

infiltrate the

crowds52

Street racing

participants who

feel marginalized

from society are

unlikely to

respond to

informal social

control methods

Can be labor

intensive and time

consuming;

creates risks of

high-speed chases

Ordinances must

be enacted

providing for

impounding or

seizing vehicles;

city prosecutors

and other public

officials must first

support this

approach

Response

No.

Page No. Response How It Works Works Best If... Considerations

Specific Responses to Street Racing
Appendix 31

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

23

24

24

27

27

Encouraging

private

businesses to

adopt measures

that will help

address the

problem

Closing streets

and/or

restricting

traffic flow and

parking

Creating and/or

encouraging

racers'

relocation to a

legal racing area

Installing speed

bumps

Arresting and

charging

spectators as

race

participants

Deters racers

and spectators

from gathering

to plan their

activities and

engaging in

crime and

disorder 

Prevents racers

from using

preferred roads;

discourages

spectators from

gathering along

roads

Diverts street

racers to a safe,

sanctioned

location

Can be costly for

business owners,

both in terms of

outlay (e.g., to hire

private security

personnel) and in

lost revenues if

closing early

May disrupt other

legitimate use of

the roadway; may

displace racing to

other more

dangerous roads

Legal liability and

safety issues must

be addressed

Speed bumps, as

opposed to speed

humps, can

damage the

undercarriages of

large vehicles and

interfere with

emergency vehicle

responses

Defining

spectators as

participants may

not withstand legal

challenge

...such measures

as posting "no

trespassing"

signs, controlling

access to the

parking lot,

hiring private

security, and

closing the

business early

can be used

...there are

limited

alternative streets

on which to race

...street racers

are willing to

race at legal

racing venue;

private enterprise

is willing to fund

and staff the

racing venue

Response

No.

Page No. Response How It Works Works Best If... Considerations

Responses With Limited Effectiveness
32 Street Racing

12.

13.

27

27

Citing and

releasing racers

Deploying

decoy police

vehicles

Fines may be

inadequate to deter

persons heavily

committed to

racing

Police vehicles are

vulnerable to

vandalism

Response

No.

Page No. Response How It Works Works Best If... Considerations
Endnotes 33

Endnotes

1 Ontario Police Department (2000). 2 Orwall (2001). 3 Lau (2002); also see Ontario Police Department (2000),

where the problem primarily involved "young adults." 4 Wilkinson (1996). 5 Clar (2003); also see San Diego Police Department

(2003) and Stockton Police Department (2003). 6 Lowery (2003). 7 Wilkens (2003b). 8 Leigh (1995). 9 San Diego Police Department (2003). 10 Neil (1999). 11 Wilkens (2003a), quoting Stephen Bender. 12 Wilkens (2003a). 13 CBC News (2002). 14 Toronto.cbc.ca (2002). 15 CBC News (2003). 16 Rendon (2001). 17 Wilkens (2003a). 18 Dobner (2001). 19 Lau (2002). 20 San Diego Police Department (2003). 21 Sloan (2004). 22 Ontario Police Department (2000). 23 Lau (2002). 24 Stockton Police Department (2003). 25 Wilkinson (1996). 26 Sloan (2004). 27 Pangelinan (2004). 28 Stokes (2003). 29 Milpitas Police Department (2002). 30 Pangelinan (2004). 31 Stockton Police Department (2003). 32 Wilkinson (1996).
34 Street Racing

33 San Diego Police Department (2003). 34 Lowery (2003). 35 Clar (2003). 36 Reno Police Department (2003). 37 Squatriglia (2003). 38 Velasquez (2003). 39 Munoz (2003). 40 Los Angeles Police Department (2001). 41 Stockton Police Department (2003). 42 Ontario Police Department (2000). 43 Reno Police Department (2003); also see Ontario Police

Department (2000) for passage and successful use of a

new street-closure ordinance. 44 See, for example, Wilkens (2003a), concerning a

university professor who founded a nonprofit group

that sponsors legal racing at San Diego's Qualcomm

Stadium. 45 Brinsfield (2001). 46 Sibley (2001). 47 Stokes (2003); PR Newswire Association (2003). 48 Redding Police Department (2003). 49 Przybys (2003). 50 Ontario Police Department (2000). 51 Wilkinson (1996). 52 San Diego Police Department (2003).
References 35

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CBC News, "Street Racing in Canada."

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CBC News, "Two Men Charged in Death of a B.C. RCMP

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www.cbc.ca/stories/2002/09/16/rcmp_crach020916

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Clar, J. (2003). "Chapter 411: Putting the Brakes on the

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Dobner, J. (2001). "Speed Demons." The San Diego UnionTribune, August 5, p. N1.

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11, 2003).
36 Street Racing

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Przybys, J. (2003). "Ready to Roll." Las Vegas Review-Journal,

June 15, p. 1J.
References 37

Redding Police Department, website,

www.reddingpolice.org/rpdstreet legaldrags.html.

(Accessed August 12, 2003).

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(Accessed July 11, 2003).

Reno, J. (2002). "Furiously Fast Racing." Newsweek,

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Author.

San Diego Police Department (2003). "Drag-Net."

Submission for the Herman Goldstein Award for

Excellence in Problem-Oriented Policing.

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Races to Keep Kids Off the Street." Law and Order 49

(2):60–64.

Sloan, G. (2004). City of San Diego, California, Police

Department, personal communication, May 21, 2004.

Squatriglia, C., and C. W. Nevius (2003). "Police Gear Up

for Summer of Speed and Reckless Driving." San

Francisco Chronicle, June 11, p. A1.
38 Street Racing

Stockton Police Department (2003). "Project Black Flag."

Submission for the Herman Goldstein Award for

Excellence in Problem-Oriented Policing.

Stokes, D. (2003). "Racers Against Street Racing." Law and

Order 51(1) (January):77–79.

Toronto.cbc.ca (2002). "Photo-radar Floated as Cure for

Drag Racing."

http://toronto.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename

=race_150702 (Accessed April 29, 2004).

Velasquez, M. (2003). City of San Diego, California, Press

Release, "First City in the State to Pass 'Vehicle

Forfeiture' Ordinance!" (April 7).

Wilkens, J. (2003a). "Slamming on the Brakes: Legal

Alternative, Strict Enforcement Bring Street Racing to

a Screeching Halt." The San Diego Union-Tribune, March

23, p. E1.

(2003b). "Street Racing's Deadly Finish: Legal

Events, Police Not Slowing Need for Speed." The San

Diego Union-Tribune, July 27, p. A1.

Wilkinson, T. (1996). San Diego, California, Police

Department, Northern Patrol Division. Submission for

the Herman Goldstein Award for Excellence in

Problem-Oriented Policing.
About the Authors 39

About the Authors

Ronald W. Glensor 

Ronald W. Glensor is a deputy chief of the Reno, Nev., Police

Department. He has more than 26 years of police experience

and has commanded the department's patrol, administration,

and detective divisions. Glensor is recognized internationally

for his work in community policing and has advised more

than 500 agencies throughout the United States, Canada,

Australia, and the United Kingdom. He was a research fellow

at the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) in

Washington, D.C., where he was responsible for problemsolving training, and an Atlantic fellow in London, where he

examined repeat victimization at the British Home Office. He

received PERF's Gary P. Hayes Award in 1997. He

coauthored Community Policing and Problem-Solving: Strategies and

Practices, Police Supervision, and Policing Communities: Understanding

Crime and Solving Problems. He has a master's in public

administration and policy and a doctorate in political science

from the University of Nevada, Reno.

Kenneth J. Peak

Ken Peak is professor and former chair of the Department of

Criminal Justice, University of Nevada, Reno. He entered

municipal policing in Kansas in 1970 and subsequently held

positions as a nine-county, LEAA-funded criminal justice

planner in Kansas; director of the four-state Technical

Assistance Institute for the Law Enforcement Assistance

Administration; director of university police at Pittsburg State

University, Kan.; acting public safety director at the University

of Nevada, Reno; and assistant criminal justice professor at

Wichita State University, Kan. He has authored or coauthored
40 Street Racing

16 textbooks (on community policing, justice administration,

police supervision, general policing, and women in policing),

as well as two historical books on bootlegging and

temperance and more than 50 journal articles and additional

book chapters. He is past chairman of the police section of

the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences and past president

of the Western and Pacific Association of Criminal Justice

Educators. He received two gubernatorial appointments to

statewide criminal justice committees while in Kansas, and

holds a doctorate from the University of Kansas.
Recommended Readings 41

Recommended Readings

• A Police Guide to Surveying Citizens and Their

Environments, Bureau of Justice Assistance, 1993. This

guide offers a practical introduction for police practitioners

to two types of surveys that police find useful: surveying

public opinion and surveying the physical environment. It

provides guidance on whether and how to conduct costeffective surveys.

• Assessing Responses to Problems: An

Introductory Guide for Police Problem-Solvers, by

John E. Eck (U.S. Department of Justice, Office of

Community Oriented Policing Services, 2001). This guide is

a companion to the Problem-Oriented Guides for Police series. It

provides basic guidance to measuring and assessing

problem-oriented policing efforts.

• Conducting Community Surveys, by Deborah Weisel

(Bureau of Justice Statistics and Office of Community

Oriented Policing Services, 1999). This guide, along with

accompanying computer software, provides practical, basic

pointers for police in conducting community surveys. The

document is also available at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs.

• Crime Prevention Studies, edited by Ronald V. Clarke

(Criminal Justice Press, 1993, et seq.). This is a series of

volumes of applied and theoretical research on reducing

opportunities for crime. Many chapters are evaluations of

initiatives to reduce specific crime and disorder problems.
42 Street Racing

• Excellence in Problem-Oriented Policing:The 1999

Herman Goldstein Award Winners. This document

produced by the National Institute of Justice in

collaboration with the Office of Community Oriented

Policing Services and the Police Executive Research Forum

provides detailed reports of the best submissions to the

annual award program that recognizes exemplary problemoriented responses to various community problems. A

similar publication is available for the award winners from

subsequent years. The documents are also available at

www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij.

• Not Rocket Science? Problem-Solving and Crime

Reduction, by Tim Read and Nick Tilley (Home Office

Crime Reduction Research Series, 2000). Identifies and

describes the factors that make problem-solving effective or

ineffective as it is being practiced in police forces in

England and Wales.

• Opportunity Makes the Thief: Practical Theory for

Crime Prevention, by Marcus Felson and Ronald V.

Clarke (Home Office Police Research Series, Paper No. 98,

1998). Explains how crime theories such as routine activity

theory, rational choice theory and crime pattern theory have

practical implications for the police in their efforts to

prevent crime.

• Problem Analysis in Policing, by Rachel Boba (Police

Foundation, 2003). Introduces and defines problem

analysis and provides guidance on how problem analysis

can be integrated and institutionalized into modern

policing practices.
Recommended Readings 43

• Problem-Oriented Policing, by Herman Goldstein

(McGraw-Hill, 1990, and Temple University Press, 1990).

Explains the principles and methods of problem-oriented

policing, provides examples of it in practice, and discusses

how a police agency can implement the concept.

• Problem-Oriented Policing and Crime

Prevention, by Anthony A. Braga (Criminal Justice

Press, 2003). Provides a through review of significant

policing research about problem places, high-activity

offenders, and repeat victims, with a focus on the

applicability of those findings to problem-oriented

policing. Explains how police departments can facilitate

problem-oriented policing by improving crime analysis,

measuring performance, and securing productive

partnerships.

• Problem-Oriented Policing: Reflections on the

First 20 Years, by Michael S. Scott (U.S. Department of

Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services,

2000). Describes how the most critical elements of

Herman Goldstein's problem-oriented policing model have

developed in practice over its 20-year history, and proposes

future directions for problem-oriented policing. The report

is also available at www.cops.usdoj.gov.

• Problem-Solving: Problem-Oriented Policing in

Newport News, by John E. Eck and William Spelman

(Police Executive Research Forum, 1987). Explains the

rationale behind problem-oriented policing and the

problem-solving process, and provides examples of

effective problem-solving in one agency.
44 Street Racing

• Problem-Solving Tips: A Guide to Reducing Crime

and Disorder Through Problem-Solving

Partnerships by Karin Schmerler, Matt Perkins, Scott

Phillips, Tammy Rinehart and Meg Townsend. (U.S.

Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented

Policing Services, 1998) (also available at

www.cops.usdoj.gov). Provides a brief introduction to

problem-solving, basic information on the SARA model

and detailed suggestions about the problem-solving process.

• Situational Crime Prevention: Successful Case

Studies, Second Edition, edited by Ronald V. Clarke

(Harrow and Heston, 1997). Explains the principles and

methods of situational crime prevention, and presents over

20 case studies of effective crime prevention initiatives.

• Tackling Crime and Other Public-Safety Problems:

Case Studies in Problem-Solving, by Rana Sampson

and Michael S. Scott (U.S. Department of Justice, Office of

Community Oriented Policing Services, 2000) (also available

at www.cops.usdoj.gov). Presents case studies of effective

police problem-solving on 18 types of crime and disorder

problems.

• Using Analysis for Problem-Solving: A Guidebook

for Law Enforcement, by Timothy S. Bynum (U.S.

Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented

Policing Services, 2001). Provides an introduction for

police to analyzing problems within the context of

problem-oriented policing.

• Using Research: A Primer for Law Enforcement

Managers, Second Edition, by John E. Eck and Nancy G.

LaVigne (Police Executive Research Forum, 1994). Explains

many of the basics of research as it applies to police

management and problem-solving.
Other Problem-Oriented Guides for Police 45

Other Problem-Oriented Guides for Police

Problem-Specific Guides series:

1. Assaults in and Around Bars. Michael S. Scott. 2001.

ISBN: 1-932582-00-2

2. Street Prostitution. Michael S. Scott. 2001. ISBN: 1-932582-01-0

3. Speeding in Residential Areas. Michael S. Scott. 2001.

ISBN: 1-932582-02-9

4. Drug Dealing in Privately Owned Apartment Complexes.

Rana Sampson. 2001. ISBN: 1-932582-03-7

5. False Burglar Alarms. Rana Sampson. 2001. ISBN: 1-932582-04-5

6. Disorderly Youth in Public Places. Michael S. Scott. 2001.

ISBN: 1-932582-05-3

7. Loud Car Stereos. Michael S. Scott. 2001. ISBN: 1-932582-06-1

8. Robbery at Automated Teller Machines. Michael S. Scott. 2001.

ISBN: 1-932582-07-X

9. Graffiti. Deborah Lamm Weisel. 2002. ISBN: 1-932582-08-8

10. Thefts of and From Cars in Parking Facilities. Ronald V.

Clarke. 2002. ISBN: 1-932582-09-6

11. Shoplifting. Ronald V. Clarke. 2002. ISBN: 1-932582-10-X

12. Bullying in Schools. Rana Sampson. 2002. ISBN: 1-932582-11-8

13. Panhandling. Michael S. Scott. 2002. ISBN: 1-932582-12-6

14. Rave Parties. Michael S. Scott. 2002. ISBN: 1-932582-13-4

15. Burglary of Retail Establishments. Ronald V. Clarke. 2002.

ISBN: 1-932582-14-2

16. Clandestine Drug Labs. Michael S. Scott. 2002.

ISBN: 1-932582-15-0

17. Acquaintance Rape of College Students. Rana Sampson. 2002.

ISBN: 1-932582-16-9

18. Burglary of Single-Family Houses. Deborah Lamm Weisel.

2002. ISBN: 1-932582-17-7

19. Misuse and Abuse of 911. Rana Sampson. 2002.

ISBN: 1-932582-18-5

20. Financial Crimes Against the Elderly.

Kelly Dedel Johnson. 2003. ISBN: 1-932582-22-3
46 Street Racing

21. Check and Card Fraud. Graeme R. Newman. 2003.

ISBN: 1-932582-27-4

22. Stalking. The National Center for Victims of Crime. 2004.

ISBN: 1-932582-30-4

23. Gun Violence Among Serious Young Offenders. Anthony A.

Braga. 2004. ISBN: 1-932582-31-2

24. Prescription Fraud. Julie Wartell and Nancy G. La Vigne. 2004.

ISBN: 1-932582-33-9

25. Identity Theft. Graeme R. Newman. 2004. ISBN: 1-932582-35-3

26. Crimes Against Tourists. Ronald W. Glesnor and Kenneth J. Peak.

2004. ISBN: 1-932582-36-3

27. Underage Drinking. Kelly Dedel Johnson. 2004. ISBN: 1-932582-39-8

28. Street Racing. Kenneth J. Peak and Ronald W. Glensor. 2004.

ISBN: 1-932582-42-8

29. Cruising. Kenneth J. Peak and Ronald W. Glensor. 2004.

ISBN: 1-932582-43-6

30. Disorder at Budget Motels. Karin Schmerler. 2004.

ISBN: 1-932582-41-X

Response Guides series:

• The Benefits and Consequences of Police Crackdowns.

Michael S. Scott. 2003. ISBN: 1-932582-24-X

• Closing Streets and Alleys to Reduce Crime: Should You Go

Down This Road? Ronald V. Clarke. 2004. ISBN: 1-932582-41-X

Problem-Solving Tools series:

• Assessing Responses to Problems: An Introductory Guide for

Police Problem-Solvers. John E. Eck. 2002. ISBN: 1-932582-19-3
Other Problem-Oriented Guides for Police 47

Upcoming Problem-Oriented Guides for Police 

Problem-Specific Guides

Domestic Violence

Mentally Ill Persons

Robbery of Taxi Drivers

Student Party Disturbances on College Campuses

Vandalism and Break-Ins at Schools

Bomb Threats in Schools

Drug Dealing in Open-Air Markets

Illicit Sexual Activity in Public Places

Drunk Driving

Bank Robbery

Witness Intimidation

Drive-by Shootings

Runaway Juveniles

Exploitation of Trafficked Women

Disorderly Day Laborers in Public Places

Child Pornography

Crowd Control at Stadiums and Other Entertainment Venues

Traffic Congestion Around Schools

Problem-Solving Tools

Analyzing Repeat Victimization

Using Offender Interviews to Inform Police Problem-Solving

Risky Facilities

Response Guides

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design
48 Street Racing

Other Related COPS Office Publications

• Using Analysis for Problem-Solving: A Guidebook

for Law Enforcement. Timothy S. Bynum.

• Problem-Oriented Policing: Reflections on the First

20 Years. Michael S. Scott. 2001.

• Tackling Crime and Other Public-Safety Problems:

Case Studies in Problem-Solving. Rana Sampson and

Michael S. Scott. 2000.

• Community Policing, Community Justice, and

Restorative Justice: Exploring the Links for the

Delivery of a Balanced Approach to Public Safety.

Caroline G. Nicholl. 1999.

• Toolbox for Implementing Restorative Justice and

Advancing Community Policing. Caroline G. Nicholl.

2000.

• Problem-Solving Tips: A Guide to Reducing

Crime and Disorder Through Problem-Solving

Partnerships. Karin Schmerler, Matt Perkins, Scott

Phillips, Tammy Rinehart and Meg Townsend. 1998.

• Bringing Victims into Community Policing. The

National Center for Victims of Crime and the Police

Foundation. 2002.

• Call Management and Community Policing. Tom

McEwen, Deborah Spence, Russell Wolff, Julie Wartell

and Barbara Webster. 2003.

• Crime Analysis in America. Timothy C. O’Shea and

Keith Nicholls. 2003.

• Problem Analysis in Policing. Rachel Boba. 2003.

• Reducing Theft at Construction Sites: Lessons

From a Problem-Oriented Project. Ronald V. Clarke

and Herman Goldstein. 2003.

• The COPS Collaboration Toolkit: How to Build,

Fix, and Sustain Productive Partnerships. Gwen O.

Briscoe, Anna T. Laszlo and Tammy A. Rinehart.

2001.
Appendix 49

• The Law Enforcement Tech Guide: How to plan,

purchase and manage technology (successfully!).

Kelly J. Harris and William H. Romesburg. 2002.

• Theft From Cars in Center City Parking 

Facilities – A Case Study. Ronald V. Clarke and

Herman Goldstein. 2003.

For more information about the Problem-Oriented Guides for

Police series and other COPS Office publications, please call

the COPS Office Response Center at 800.421.6770 or visit

COPS Online at www.cops.usdoj.gov.


FOR MORE INFORMATION:

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

1100 Vermont Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20530

To obtain details on COPS programs, call the

COPS Office Response Center at 800.421.6770

Visit COPS Online at the address listed below.

e10042575 Updated Date: December 9, 2004

ISBN: 1-932582-42-8