Cleveland police and the city's pilot program to discourage street takeovers

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Cleveland Police, the Bibb Administration and a special Street Takeover Task Force hope a pilot program will deter crimes created by street takeovers.

In September, simultaneous street takeovers at more than six intersections and even a section of I-90 in Cleveland caused chaos as muscle cars performed dangerous stunts and blocked traffic. The city’s police chief called the crimes terrifying.

Now city leaders hope a pilot program will discourage illegal activity.

The plan involves milling streets or adding something resembling junk lanes in the road to make it difficult for speeding cars to perform dangerous stunts such as donuts and burnouts. In several cases over the past month, the criminals who took control of the streets wore masks and pointed their weapons at motorists. In one case, at least four or five people jumped on the hood of a police car while the officer was inside. One person then pounded their fists on the cruiser to taunt the officer.

Alex, a Cleveland resident, tells 19 News, “Those bumps and stuff will do something in the short term, but they’re just going to find a new place where they can do that. So I don’t think this will end eventually.”,

Lance Richards of Louisville, Kentucky believes the idea of street milling could make it safer for pedestrians, joggers and even motorists to get to their destinations without interruptions in Cleveland: “We’ve seen similar things in Louisville, Kentucky. I don’t know if they’re talking about thumps or mills, but they’re confiscating cars. Take away the cars and the problem goes away.”

Former Cleveland City Councilman Michael Polensek says the plan has not been presented to the safety committee, and he is interested in how the pilot program will affect walkers and joggers, as well as snow plows. But Polensek is also waiting for government approval to return the draft of an ordinance that, if approved by the council, would stiffen penalties for vandals who try to take over the city’s streets.