Naperville police cracking down on drag racing, off-road vehicles

NAPERVILLE, Ill. - Naperville police are cracking down on a growing problem with drag racing, noisy cars and off-road vehicles playing havoc downtown.

"You know we are getting complaints. The point it’s at now, it’s at an unacceptable level," said Doug Krieger, Naperville City Manager.

Naperville leaders say they’re tired of downtown sounding like "Fast & Furious."

"Well, it really started in the pandemic last year, right around spring and summer," said Naperville Police Chief Robert Marshall.

Marshall says it’s a cacophonous combo platter of street racing, noisy cars, motorcycles, ATVs and other unlicensed vehicles that have no business on city streets.

"This year, so far citywide, we are at about 7000 tickets. So our officers are out there," said Marshall.

They’ve also closed the top deck to a downtown parking garage where the street racers and motorcycles congregate.

Police say they are contemplating other measures like speed bumps, street closures and speed cameras.

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Naperville has also seen a three-fold increase in motorists fleeing during a traffic stops.

"These individuals are baiting our police officers to chase them, to take off. Well that’s a tremendous danger to the public when they are accelerating from a police officer," said Marshall.

If police locate a car or motorcycle that fled they can tow the vehicle, and the City Council is now considering adding a $500 fine.

The noise is especially problematic now with so many restaurants and bars about to begin outdoor dining.

"With COVID, since we’re trying to focus on outdoor dining, having a vehicle eight feet away from you, revving its engine is a miserable experience," said Krieger.