TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Tucsonans are hammering the city government to put a stop to street racing. In Tuesday, Nov. 28’s study session, City Council officials will consider bringing more technology to the fight.
Street racing is a real danger on Tucson’s Southeast side. Now, the Tucson City Council is considering using high tech to make some of those hot cars cool down.
The long smooth straightaways on Houghton Road make it an attractive spot to race. But Tucson police say the danger goes beyond speed alone. Racers may take over intersections. The large crowds can lead to fights and shootings.
Now, the Tucson City Council is considering an arsenal of tech to catch racers and make it harder for them to organize their races.
Tucson City Manager Michael Ortega recommends:
- A mobile speed enforcement van
- Aimable pan, tilt and zoom cameras that can see and record wider areas
- License plate readers in fixed locations and on police cars
- More gunshot detectors
- Encrypting police radios so racers can’t listen in on police and stay one step ahead
This would cost about $994,000. The city manager still has to figure out where the money would come from. Federal grants are one possibility.
David Wilson lives along Houghton Road. He’s heard the racers for years.
Wilson says tech is not a total solution.
“Well, technology is good. But somebody has to monitor the technology and then respond to activations from the technology. And that's another question, is the city gonna support the extra response time for the extra people to respond to these alarms or to these activations of the technology.”
Possibilities for later phases could include an airplane for long term surveillance and even GPS darts police could attach to a fleeing car so officers could track it down later.
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Craig Smith is a reporter for KGUN 9. With more than 40 years of reporting in cities like Tampa, Houston and Austin, Craig has covered more than 40 Space Shuttle launches and covered historic hurricanes like Katrina, Ivan, Andrew and Hugo. Share your story ideas and important issues with Craig by emailing craig.smith@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.
