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Press Release

Officers Statewide To Be Trained To Spot Illegal Modifications

Sacramento, CA –The California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) today announced $4.4 million in grants to combat illegal street racing.  The grants will go to four law enforcement agencies to set up training programs for officers throughout the state to detect and cite illegal vehicle modifications.  Funding will go to the Elk Grove Police Department to set up training for local police and sheriff’s departments throughout northern California, while Irwindale and Ontario Police Departments will do the same for southern California.  The California Highway Patrol will handle training for their officers statewide.

“All too often the victims of illegal street racing are innocent bystanders and young drivers whose lives and futures are senselessly wasted,” said Christopher J. Murphy, Director of the Office of Traffic Safety.  “With these programs, plus enforcement, we will convince street racers that their actions are both deadly and bad for their bank account.”

With estimates of causing nearly 100 traffic fatalities a year in California, illegal street racing is the source of tragedies and headlines across the state.  Citations for street racing related illegal vehicle modifications jumped from the hundreds just a few years ago to over 7,500 in the past year.  Illegal street racers are increasingly endangering not only themselves, but the innocent victims who find themselves in harm's way. 

Law enforcement needs the tools necessary to identify cars with illegal modifications.  These grants will set up programs that will enable traffic and patrol officers from virtually any jurisdiction in the state to be trained to easily and accurately spot the illegal modifications used to enhance speed, power and performance. 

When a vehicle owner is cited for illegal modifications, they are directed to bring the car back into compliance.  This must be confirmed by Bureau of Automotive Repair specialists.  Returning a vehicle to street-legal status can often cost thousands of dollars.

In addition to these training-oriented grants, OTS funds operations which put patrols out on the streets for the specific purposes of citing cars with illegal modifications as well as those actively engaged in illegal street racing.

The grants announced today include $321,044 to the Irwindale Police Department; $620,000 to the Ontario Police Department; $520,000 to the Elk Grove Police Department and $2,980,587 to the California Highway Patrol.

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