MILWAUKEE -- Police want to put the brakes on street racing in Milwaukee.
"We're not ignoring the problem - not by a long shot," Capt. Andra Williams told TODAY'S TMJ4. "We know they're out there and we know where they're racing."
Investigators say most of the racing is on the long, wide and often quiet roads on the city's north west side, including Bradley Rd, Calumet Road and Towers. The problem is that District 4 is the largest geographically of Milwaukee's seven police districts, at 28.8 square miles, or 30 percent of the city.
“Unfortunately, this sort of activity has been on the rise lately,” Alderwoman Chantia Lewis lamented. “It seems like every Friday or Saturday night, you can hear these ‘Fast and the Furious’ wannabes out there tearing up our city streets. Not only are they creating a quality of life concern for people who have to put up with their noise, but they’re creating a real safety hazard for anyone who might happen to be out on the street at that time.”
Capt. Williams explained that officers are relying heavily on the outreach of residents, who have should be able to identify the racing cars by their very unique features.
"The different color paints, the different type of spoilers," Williams added. "The cars are very unique. There aren't many people with two foot spoilers sticking off of their cars."
Residents who witness street racing should call the Milwaukee Police Department non-emergency number at 933-4444 in order to report the location of the incident and a description of the cars involved.
“This sort of activity isn’t going to be tolerated in Milwaukee,” Alderwoman Lewis said. “Anyone who wants to gamble and go hot-rodding through our neighborhoods should know that we’re going to see you before you see us, and you’re going to face steep fines.”
