Broomfield cracks down on street racing with ordinance that could allow police in the Colorado city to impound cars

Street racing events advertised publicly online and large car meetups driving through Colorado neighborhoods have become a growing concern for cities across the Front Range.

After efforts at the state level failed to advance, some local governments are taking action on their own.

In Broomfield, city leaders approved a new ordinance Tuesday that adds civil penalties to street racing-related activity and allows authorities to impound vehicles involved in racing, drifting, burnouts and takeovers.

For residents like Donnah Moody, the issue has become a priority to preserve the peace.

"So you can hear a lot of birds chirping, and you can't hear Highway 7 from where I live," Moody said.

But she says weekends can sound very different.

"Saturday nights, when they're racing down there, wakes me up out of a dead sleep," she said.

According to the City and County of Broomfield, police responded to more than 90 incidents involving street racing or related takeovers last year and expect that number to increase this year.

"They're racing in my neighborhood. Aren't there laws? Why aren't they doing anything about it?" Moody said.

She brought those concerns directly to city leaders.

On Tuesday, the Broomfield City Council unanimously approved the new ordinance. The measure allows the city to pursue civil action against vehicles involved in street racing activities by treating them as a public nuisance.

"There's racing, drifting, burnouts, they're blocking intersections, evading police. It's a lot of reckless behavior," Mayor Guyleen Castriotta said.

"This ordinance will give us another tool in the toolbox by treating the vehicle as a public nuisance," Castriotta added.

Under the ordinance, warnings Broomfield police say will generally be issued long before a vehicle is impounded. However, responsibility can extend beyond the drivers themselves, but to the involved cars owner.

"It's their responsibility to know what their children are up to, or even their adult children, in some cases. It's your property, so you're going to be responsible for that," Castriotta said.

Broomfield police are expected to begin enforcing the new restrictions next week.

Authorities acknowledge that while the ordinance may reduce activity locally, it may not eliminate street racing across Colorado. Broomfield police say the activity could simply move to neighboring communities.

That leaves residents like Moody hoping lawmakers will take action at the state level.

"It's all we've got, so we got to hope that it's successful, and maybe it's the first step, too," she said.

Castriotta said the ordinance is aimed at addressing street racing, but could potentially be applied in the future to address issues with e-motos and similar vehicles.