Cleveland police are not doing enough to control dirt bike riders illegally using city streets, according to Councilman Zack Reed. And he says that is leading to more brazen behavior from the riders. Police officials say a new policy is on the way.
For safety reasons, Cleveland police are not allowed to chase riders who drive recklessly. But a growing number of them are aggressively harassing drivers, and Reed says it’s time to crack down on this behavior.
"We know what neighborhoods they’re going into; we know what communities they’re going into. And when we catch them, ... we’ve got to have some strong policies behind how we’re going to deal with this. It can’t be some slap on the wrist.”
Reed says riders are now carrying guns and drugs because they know they can get away with it. Cleveland police spokeswoman Jennifer Ciaccia says the department is working on a new policy for dealing with the riders. Meanwhile, the city is building a dirt bike park that backers hope will draw some riders off the streets.
