Christine Palm

Public safety is one of government's most important responsibilities, and legislation passed by the House of Representatives takes aim at stopping the growing threat of "street takeovers."

A recent phenomenon that coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, the brazen public safety threat known as "street takeovers" have become a growing national issue, including a number of dangerous incidents in Connecticut towns.

These well-organized takeovers of roads, intersections or parking areas by a large gathering and illegal use of cars, all-terrain and other types of motor vehicles, pose a significant threat to public safety, endangering both innocent bystanders and law enforcement officials.

Last week, the House took action to help cities and towns regain control of their streets by voting 148-0 to pass HB 5413 which is designed to stop and prevent these "takeovers," which have proven to be a serious danger to our communities.

The legislation, which now moves to the Senate for consideration, provides more tools to municipalities in order to better combat street takeovers, including:

• Allowing cities and towns to destroy ATVs, dirt bikes, and motorcycles seized and forfeited for violating a municipal ordinance
• Authorizing municipalities to adopt ordinances that specifically penalize those participating or organizing street takeovers and impose fines as well as seize vehicles
• Changing and tightening penalties for violating state law on street takeovers, including permanent driver's license revocation after a third violation

This unanimous bipartisan legislation provides important additional tools and increased penalties to help our communities both deter and deal with these illegal and dangerous "street takeovers."