Columbus officials vow no leniency in crackdown on illegal dirt bike, ATV use on streets

Amid complaints about increased reckless and noisy ATV, dirt bike and motorcycle riding along city streets, Columbus city officials announced Tuesday they are planning another crackdown.

The latest efforts will include a new noise ordinance to be sent to City Council and a pledge from the Columbus City Attorney to not plea bargain cases where someone has been charged with recklessly driving an ATV, dirt bike or other similar vehicle not permitted on city streets.

Mayor Andrew Ginther, City Attorney Zach Klein and police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the efforts Tuesday morning.

Ginther said his office is working on drafting a new noise ordinance that would target "unreasonably loud or raucous noise," as well as increase penalties for repeat offenders.

The ordinance is still being finalized, Klein said, but there will be clear guidelines to establish what constitutes loud noise so that neighborhood gatherings or parties aren't unfairly targeted.

Klein also said he has instructed the prosecutors in his office to enforce an ordinance passed in 2021 by City Council regarding reckless and illegal operation of ATVs and dirt bikes to the fullest extent possible. That means no plea bargains, unless there's an evidentiary issue that would require it, Klein said.

The ordinance for reckless operation of ATVs and dirt bikes is an unclassified misdemeanor, with a potential punishment of a fine between $500 and $1,000 and a maximum of 30 days in jail. Klein said his office will also seek to impound the vehicle involved for as long as legally possible.

Harry Baucom, a 42-year resident of the Old Oaks neighborhood near Nationwide Children's Hospital, said Tuesday that he has seen ATVs driving recklessly with "toddlers straddling gas tanks, and the neighborhood is fed up.

"It's like a throbbing headache some nights it just goes on so much," he said. "As disruptive as the noise is, the danger is even worse."

Baucom is not alone in his concerns. Many city residents and motorists say increased enforcement to bring a halt to the reckless activity is much-needed.

Bobby Thaxton, president of the Short North Civic Association, said the reckless motorcycles and dirt bikes are creating an air of “lawlessness” in the neighborhood.

'It's really unbearable,' Short North resident says of ATVs, dirt bikes

Thaxton described High Street in the Short North as a hotspot when it comes to reckless motorbike use, saying the loud noise can continue well into the early morning hours. Coupled with an increase in violent crime, Thaxton said many residents of the neighborhood are starting to second-guess where they live.

"For those residents that live near High Street, it's horrible, it’s really unbearable," Thaxton said. "This is not the Short North of two or three years ago. I'm not the type of person that thinks the Short North needs to be of a certain time, but it’s an issue of quality of life."

One resident, Brian Masten, 27, who lives at the Luxe 23 apartment building in the 1000 block of North High Street, said the loud and reckless activity can continue early into the morning, sometimes 3 a.m. on weeknights.

"It's very similar to last summer where you have these — basically packs — of just lawless riders," Masten said. "They do wheelies, they blow red lights, they ride down the middle of the lanes — it really just seems like they’re just doing it for attention."

Masten said he is most concerned that a rider will lose control of their vehicle and hit a pedestrian.

Thaxton said the Short North Civic Association had many talks last year with police about how to increase enforcement against reckless riders, noting there was “quite a bit of frustration” among community members who felt the city was not taking action.

Masten also expressed frustration with current enforcement, adding other residents at the Luxe 23 are upset with what he said was the police "dropping the ball" on reducing noise and reckless driving. He said he noticed the problem ebbed during last year’s crackdown, and said he is glad the city has heard resident’s complaints and is taking steps to reduce the issue early on this season.

"Hopefully the city is better at stopping the motorcycles than they are plowing the streets when it snows," Masten said.

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Columbus police chief: 'Consider this your warning ... This is not a game'

Bryant said Tuesday that police will be enforcing the law and devoting resources to catching and identifying people driving recklessly, even those on motorcycles. Klein reiterated that, saying his office will charge and prosecute anyone operating a vehicle recklessly, regardless of the vehicle type.

Bryant said photos will be released on social media for the public to help identify those driving recklessly as well, a tool she said proved useful to police in 2021.

"Consider this your warning," she said. "This is not a game. Trust and believe, we're everywhere."

Bryant and Ginther said that resources used to patrol ATV and dirt bike use will not prevent or hamper police efforts to target violent crime, saying the two sometimes overlap. Bryant said despite losing 100 officers to a one-time buyout program over the next several months, police will continue to be proactive.

"We're making sure, the resources we have, making sure they are in the right place at the right time," Ginther said.

Councilmember Emmanuel Remy said Tuesday that council will consider the new noise ordinance when it is brought to it, as well as consider other options. He mentioned a pilot program for noise cameras that is being considered at a meeting his office has already scheduled. Similar programs are being used in Knoxville and New York City.

The Dispatch requested this past week information from Columbus police about the number of arrests and citations issued in 2021 for reckless operation of an ATV, as well as information on the number of ATVs and dirt bikes that had been impounded. Specific numbers have not been released, but Bryant said Tuesday it was "dozens."

Complaints about illegal and reckless dirt bike and ATV driving along High Street and other city streets on weekends have been posted on social media. The Dispatch filed a formal request Monday under the Ohio Public Records Act for the information it previously sought verbally, and a few hours later, city officials announced plans for the Tuesday press conference.

What other cities are doing

Columbus is not the only major city struggling to contain a rise in large groups of reckless and illegal dirt bike and ATV riders. It has been a problem for more than a decade and has occurred in cities such as Baltimore, Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

The New York Police Department announced last week it would be renewing a crackdown on reckless drivers, according to Fox 5 NY. The NYPD impounded over 3,000 ATV and dirt bike vehicles in 2021, the department said.

The Metro Police Department in Washington's chase policy prohibits officers from chasing these vehicles, which some believe has encouraged more riders to do wheelies and perform other stunts on city streets. But the MPD also has a policy that offers a $250 reward to people whose information leads to the successful identification of the driver/operator of the illegal ATV or dirt bike and the confiscation of the vehicle.

In April, Bridgeport, Connecticut enacted a municipal ordinance that seeks to make it more challenging for riders illegally using public streets and sidewalks to fuel up by fining gas stations that sell those vehicles fuel at the pumps, according to The Connecticut Post. Businesses who break that rule face a $250 fine if caught doing so by police.

bbruner@dispatch.com

@bethany_bruner

Cole Behrens is a reporter at The Columbus Dispatch covering public safety and breaking news. You can reach him at CBehrens@dispatch.com or find him on Twitter at @Colebehr_report

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Police Chief: 'Consider this your warning. This is not a game.'