Police Raid Car Enthusiast Gathering, Generate Revenue

[hutch]

California: Police Raid Car Enthusiast Gathering, Generate Revenue
http://thenewspaper.com/news/23/2302.asp


Police raid Riverside, California parking lot to issue modified car tickets at local car enthusiast gathering.

Using $503,000 in federal and state gas tax revenue to pay for overtime, nine police agencies in Riverside, California sent more than one hundred police officers to surround a gathering of automotive enthusiasts. Owners of imported sport compact cars had gathered at the Canyon Crossing shopping center on Friday night to swap stories, talk about their passion for cars and show off the latest enhancements to their rides. At around 11pm police surprised participants by blocking all exits with fifty police cruisers. Officers then began a warrantless search and interrogation operation of the 150 vehicles that were present.

"If you're not into street racing, why would you need that?" Riverside Police Traffic Sergeant Skip Showalter asked an enthusiast during a similar crackdown last year. "Why would you want more power going to your car?"

Police issued a total of forty-eight tickets for "engine modifications" with police accusing the owners of the parked vehicles of being street racers. Another fifty tickets were issued for paperwork violations, dark window tinting and lack of a front license plate. The most revenue, however, will be generated from the fees imposed on twenty vehicles that were confiscated. Despite labeling the parking lot raid as taking place at a "street racing venue," Riverside Police offered no evidence that any street racing actually took place.

Across the state, gas tax funds are regularly used to fund similar crackdowns that generate big revenue. In 2004, the California Highway Patrol issued a total of 101,553 "modified car" citations worth $10.5 million according to CHP data obtained by TheNewspaper.

Other law enforcement agencies participating in Friday night's raid included the California Highway Patrol, Riverside County Sheriff's Department, and police from Baldwin Park, Fontana, Irwindale, Moreno Valley, Ontario and Mount San Jacinto Community College

[68charger383]

The CA cops are actually trained to ID aftermarket parts on these cars.

[Drache]

The CA cops are actually trained to ID aftermarket parts on these cars.

from what I realize they are the only cops who have to go through courses just to be able to do so! Personally I say good for them! 

[Orange_Crush]

The CA cops are actually trained to ID aftermarket parts on these cars.

from what I realize they are the only cops who have to go through courses just to be able to do so! Personally I say good for them! 

Really?  Good for them?

And then when they come after you what are you going to say?  Good for them?  Just because it happened to the tuner crowd doesn't mean it can't happen to you.  Grow up.

This is a plain-and-simple abuse of police power.

[hutch]

The CA cops are actually trained to ID aftermarket parts on these cars.

from what I realize they are the only cops who have to go through courses just to be able to do so! Personally I say good for them! 

States dont have any right to crack down one a group of people because of the type of car they like to build or own.  If stuff like this took place at a Mopar club event would you feel the same way?

[Blown70]

Seach without cause is what this looks like to me?  So any gathering this is ok.  HOW ABOUT in lets say Minnesota at MOPARS in the PARK.....

THIS COMPLETE BS.   

MY OPINION.

T

[moparstuart]

Seach without cause is what this looks like to me?  So any gathering this is ok.  HOW ABOUT in lets say Minnesota at MOPARS in the PARK.....

THIS COMPLETE BS.   

MY OPINION.

T

I agree a rights violationfor sure.  If they start with the tuners and get away with it where will it stop ! 

[Drache]

Seach without cause is what this looks like to me?  So any gathering this is ok.  HOW ABOUT in lets say Minnesota at MOPARS in the PARK.....

THIS COMPLETE BS.   

MY OPINION.

T

If you are driving around in a charger that has double the amount of horsepower it should or hooked up with Nitrous Oxide and get fined yeah I will feel the same! Why do people need to drive around in cars with double their stock horsepower? Cops arent going to fine a charger owner because he has a stock 440 under the hood even though the 440 has more HP than 2 ricers put together. A double pump carb is allot different than most of the shit these kids put under their hoods to make their cars go fast whereas chargers dont need it.

[Charger_Fan]

I look at as the ricers of the area having brought on themselves. I don't think many would disagree that the way ricers go out and get wild & crazy these days is quite a bit different than how we handled our wild & crazy selves when we were young. They have brought upon themselves, with their blatant disregard for their fellow man & rules of the road.
I don't forsee the police taking any interest in a gathering of Mopar owners.

At least the ricers in this story didn't get their cars impounded & crushed this time...that would probably be a bit worse than a few tickets.

[moparstuart]

This is a free country still I think , no matter who they are. IF they are assembled and not doing anything illegal leave them alone . Now if they caught them out street racing thats another story. 

[my73charger]

This is complete crap.  It is abuse of power. 

[terrible one]

"If you're not into street racing, why would you need that?" Riverside Police Traffic Sergeant Skip Showalter asked an enthusiast during a similar crackdown last year. "Why would you want more power going to your car?"

Hahahahaha wow, I love how they highlighted Mr. Showalter and his ignorant-ass comment. Why would you want more power going to your car? For fun/your own personal enjoyment? For racing LEGALLY at the strip? If these people weren't doing anything wrong (i.e. streetracing) then why are they all subject to a warrantless search, if the point of the whole operation is to crack down on streetracing? Oh, nevermind, just as the title says, it's about the money. How about they get off their asses and go find them actually doing it.

[moparstuart]

"If you're not into street racing, why would you need that?" Riverside Police Traffic Sergeant Skip Showalter asked an enthusiast during a similar crackdown last year. "Why would you want more power going to your car?"

Hahahahaha wow, I love how they highlighted Mr. Showalter and his ignorant-ass comment. Why would you want more power going to your car? For fun/your own personal enjoyment? For racing LEGALLY at the strip? If these people weren't doing anything wrong (i.e. streetracing) then why are they all subject to a warrantless search, if the point of the whole operation is to crack down on streetracing? Oh, nevermind, just as the title says, it's about the money. How about they get off their asses and go find them actually doing it.

or do bust some drug dealers

[RECHRGD]

Maybe I've been living out in the sticks too long.  When did engine modifications become illegal ?  If they can pass emission tests, what's the problem?  Is this just a California thing?  Geeeeze, 90% of us on this site have modified engines to some extent.  At least here in Wa. the older cars are not subject to any emission testing, so I guess we could get a free pass here.  If engine mods are illegal, maybe Holley and Edelbrock should be shut down.  Just a bunch of B/S imo.    Bob

[Drache]

Maybe I've been living out in the sticks too long.  When did engine modifications become illegal ?  If they can pass emission tests, what's the problem?  Is this just a California thing?  Geeeeze, 90% of us on this site have modified engines to some extent.  At least here in Wa. the older cars are not subject to any emission testing, so I guess we could get a free pass here.  If engine mods are illegal, maybe Holley and Edelbrock should be shut down.  Just a bunch of B/S imo.    Bob

Only a california thing to bust down on rampant street racing there....

[Blown70]

Seach without cause is what this looks like to me?  So any gathering this is ok.  HOW ABOUT in lets say Minnesota at MOPARS in the PARK.....

THIS COMPLETE BS.   

MY OPINION.

T

If you are driving around in a charger that has double the amount of horsepower it should or hooked up with Nitrous Oxide and get fined yeah I will feel the same! Why do people need to drive around in cars with double their stock horsepower? Cops arent going to fine a charger owner because he has a stock 440 under the hood even though the 440 has more HP than 2 ricers put together. A double pump carb is allot different than most of the shit these kids put under their hoods to make their cars go fast whereas chargers dont need it.

UMMM YEA sure whatever.  That will be your OPINION THEN......

[Drache]

Of course its my opinion... 

wow you're silly.... 

[Blown70]

So do tell me what or when does a rights violation end or begin?  Should all cars them be pulled over/check becasue of tint, modification, etc?

I would like to know .  Do custom wheels them make it ok, as they would not be stock? Seriously.  What type of "car" are you going to say this one does and this one does not.

If you are street racing.... HAVE AT them that is ILLEGAL..... PERIOD, I know of now where with out a sanction that road racing is allowed.

Gather of cars no matter the type, style, or if you like it or not should not have this type of action taken.

Tom.  Yea I  AM SILLY...Jacka$$

[Brock Samson]

calif loves to generate revenue via, targeting folks in cars... parking tickets just went up by $20.00 and some auto infractions fines were doubled... parking meters just went up 50 cents per hour a quarter now gets you six minutes... and they spend alot of time finding folks to give tickets to...
but Drache your "good for them" comment is not likely to be taken well by most folks here...
ain't there some Pollyanna site you can go to?.. 

hey guys,.. abuse of power, ain't that what we're all about?.. 

[Ponch ®]

Maybe I've been living out in the sticks too long.  When did engine modifications become illegal ?  If they can pass emission tests, what's the problem?  Is this just a California thing?  Geeeeze, 90% of us on this site have modified engines to some extent.  At least here in Wa. the older cars are not subject to any emission testing, so I guess we could get a free pass here.  If engine mods are illegal, maybe Holley and Edelbrock should be shut down.  Just a bunch of B/S imo.    Bob

Thing is, most of those parts/modifications are technically not legal. Look through your Summit Racing or Year One catalog and you'll see that with very few exceptions, most performance parts say "Off road vehicles only. Not legal for highway use", or something like that. So its just not ricers.

It's also not true that its' only ricers that are trouble makers. I hit up a local cruise-in every friday night, and the cops had to start staking out the area due to people - in street rods, muscle cars, etc - doing burnouts IN the parking lot (which the restaurant that hosts the cruise in shares with a K-mart, with lots of old lady shoppers and grandkids walking around) and peeling out when they leave. 

I agree with those who say this is bullshit. On the one hand, if you have illegal parts in your car and you get pulled over for f-ing around on the steets, then any trouble you get into is all par for the course - you knew damn well what you were doing. It's another thing, however, if you're just going to hang out and aren't doing anything wrong and the police raid the place like a it's a meth lab.

For the most part, I think cops probably don't really care as long as you're obeying traffic laws. They even drive around the cruise-in and stop to shoot the shit with the car owners. My guess is that it's the higher ups that are ordering these raids - and the cops are just doing their jobs at that point.

[68charger383]

The basis for the cops crack down is probably that we have had quite a few street racing accidents hit the news. Ex. Some of these bone heads were racing at 3:00 p.m. down a neighborhood street going over 100 mph and vaporized a mini van killing the mom and two small kids inside etc.

The reason the cops can focus on the new cars is CA has strict emission standards which almost any modification over stock will violate. Plus we have drag strips out here, $20 to run your car, so street racing is really not justified. I don't agree with them swarming in if they were just hanging out...but I would guess they must have been doing some street racing also.

The cops don't seem to bother the older muscle cars. However, they are usually driven by older people who tend to drive them like they have a load of nitro glycerin in the trunk. Plus the older cars beyond I think 1972 are smog exempt and the emission standards do not apply.

Back in the 80s, the cops would do a similar thing to us when we would come together to hang out (and street race) on Deer Park Ave or Hempstead Tpke in NY. So it really is nothing new....just cops busting kids for doing what kids do!

[Blown70]

I agree with those who say this is bullshit. On the one hand, if you have illegal parts in your car and you get pulled over for f-ing around on the steets, then any trouble you get into is all par for the course - you knew damn well what you were doing. It's another thing, however, if you're just going to hang out and aren't doing anything wrong and the police raid the place like a it's a meth lab.

I agree if you are F-ing around I see no problem...... I have gotten an unreasonable acceleration before..... 

[Drache]

Ponch like you said, there are parts for vehicles that literally state not for street use! Now if those are under the hood of a car that is at a car show and is not trailered there mean the car was on the road with illegal parts?

Maybe Im just the rare one here that thinks street racing is wrong... personally if someone has NOS on their car its no different that a huge assed blower sticking up from the hood. You don't need those things in a daily driver!

You drive around here with a huge assed blower sticking out of your hood you will get pulled over, simple as that. Same with illegally tinted windows! Some of these laws were put in place to save lives of innocent people! No one needs a 600hp daily driver anymore in my opinion, but you want to have that car on the track/strip, I'll be the first person in line drooling over it.

You are all mad that the cars were being fined at a show, but how did those cars get there?! If they have parts not for legal use, registered for daily driving, and were not trailered there....

Once again NONE of us know the full story of what happened. We don't know if they had an event like this before and things got out of hand so this year the cops put a stop to it. So far the fines they state exactly in the story such as no front license plates, some tinted windows, and some cars being confiscated (most likely due to the illegal parts) are all valid reasons.

Calling them street racers without seeing race though IS bullshit!

[Blown70]

Calling them street racers without seeing race though IS bullshit!

WOW I AM SILLY  we actually agree on one aspect....   

[bull]

Waste of time and money. Petty, nitpicking BS plain and simple. If they want to do some good there are hundreds of better uses for that money than to "raid" a bunch of ricer owners sitting in a parking lot.