City smashes dirt bikes in warning to riders ahead of Memorial Day weekend

PROVIDENCE – Ever the city's quality-of-life ambassador, Mayor Brett Smiley got tough on dirt bike riders on Thursday, pulverizing their vehicles in public to the sound of clicking cameras as reporters watched.

Smiley held the photo op with a clear message for riders of dirt bikes, ATVs and other vehicles that aren't legal on the streets: If you hit the road in Providence, we'll take your ride.

"To those that are looking forward to Memorial Day because they think that it’s a great opportunity to go out and ride, we want to be clear that Providence police will be stopping and confiscating these illegal vehicles," Smiley said. "And those that do get confiscated might very well meet the fate here, which is they will be seized and destroyed or donated to an organization that can facilitate safe riding elsewhere."

More: Providence will use undercover officers and surveillance to stop ATV joyriding in city

The pre-holiday weekend presser may have been a bold move for the mayor, but it was not a new one. Mayor Jorge Elorza orchestrated a similar event during his time in office, and, like Smiley and mayors across the country, felt dirt bikes and ATVs were Providence's plague.

But it's getting better, Smiley said. Since the city launched its ATV task force last month, the police have seized 63 street-illegal vehicles and made 24 arrests – all without incident. Compared with the 102 total vehicles seized during Elorza's time from 2020 through 2022, Smiley's administration has delivered a rocket-like boost.

And he doesn't mind a small brag: "We are making much more meaningful progress than has been made in the past," he told the press.

Tip line and intelligence work in 'hot spots' has driven up seizures

Part of what has helped the city are its own citizens. Police have scored leads via a tip line, which they've asked locals to call if they're aware of a scheduled ride or know where vehicles are being stored. The only time you shouldn't call, the city says, is when bikes and ATVs are whizzing by and off into the distance.

“The call [volume] has been pretty good," said the city's police chief, Col. Oscar Perez. "The community itself – they're not just calling to tell us that there's illegal activity going on in our city, but they're also calling us to thank us for being proactive. And from what they’re saying, they actually can sleep at night now.”

Perez said vehicles have been found "all over the city" but there are "certain hotspots that we conduct intelligence on." However, he opted to keep the lid on that information rather than having it printed in the city's paper of record.

The vehicles aren't just a danger to the public; they're a danger to riders, Perez said, noting that some are missing parts and some are stolen.

A recreational spot for riders? Not so fast

It's unlikely Providence will host its own recreational riding spot anytime soon – or possibly ever. Smiley said he had one "civil but not particularly constructive" meeting with someone who wanted a legal place to ride. Yet no such location has been identified.

"The idea of riding safely in an off-road environment, in a more rural environment, which is what these vehicles were built for, is not really the fun part, I think, for many of the folks who engage in this activity," Smiley said.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: As Providence battles dirt bikes, the mayor has them smashed in public