OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Omaha police have cited or arrested 42 people directly for street racing in the past year, but midtown neighbors say continuous enforcement is still needed across the city.
- Video shows Able-1 footage from the Omaha Police Department and drone video from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.
- Last April the Omaha city council voted to increase penalties for illegal street racing.
- "If you're even a spectator, if you're involved and you're watching it, you're going to get arrested and we're going to tow your car and you're going to lose your vehicle for a couple days," said Omaha police Lt. Danny Flynn with the traffic unit.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
For years, midtown Omaha neighbors have dealt with loud cars racing on streets practically in their backyards.
Nearly a year after the Omaha City Council voted to make street racing illegal and enact stricter ordinances, we're trying to figure out if more enforcement has made a difference.
From cars racing down Dodge Street to doing donuts in parking lots, Fairacres neighbor Lori Bruck has heard it all and had enough.
"Our neighborhoods are being burdened by this intrusive and invasive noise and it's happening in the evenings, it's happening well into the night," Bruck said.
Last April, the city council increased penalties for anyone involved in street racing, including impounding the cars of racers.
"If you're even a spectator, if you're involved and you're watching it, you're going to get arrested and we're going to tow your car and you're going to lose your vehicle for a couple days, who knows how long, and you'll have to pay those fines and every time you get caught with it, it's more of a severe penalty," Lt. Danny Flynn said.
In the first year with the ordinance in place, the Omaha Police Department traffic unit has either cited or arrested 42 people directly involved in street racing and has impounded 12 vehicles.
OPD partners with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office and the Nebraska State Patrol to enforce these street racing laws.
"So far this year we have had 14 citations and/or arrests for willful reckless driving. All of those would constitute some type of street racing behavior. The individuals who were not arrested would have been juveniles, otherwise we always book for willful reckless driving," the Douglas County Sheriff's Office said.
"We run into several people just being so reckless, and it's gonna lead to serious injuries and we're just trying to avoid that," Flynn said.
Despite the crackdown, some neighbors question if the efforts are enough.
"We appreciate the Omaha Police Department's efforts we absolutely do, but they cannot be everywhere, so the speed and noise ordinance isn't going to work unless it's continuously enforced," Bruck said.
Bruck is part of the Midtown Neighborhood Alliance. The group continues to advocate for safer streets, working with OPD and the city council to increase operations.
"It's just escalating into a bigger problem," Bruck said.
Omaha City Councilman Pete Festersen echoed those concerns writing in the Dundee-Memorial Park Association Newsletter.
"The car and motorcycle noise and speeding concerns we experience from about 50th to 84th and Dodge Streets seems to get worse. With this in mind, we are engaged with the Omaha Police Department on special enforcement efforts," Festersen said.
For now, OPD is working on conducting focused operations in neighborhoods with unsafe street racing and motorcycle activity. These street racing operations will continue into the summer.
