Law enforcement agencies throughout Washoe County are increasing their efforts to address illegal street racing.
Police say this typically becomes a bigger issue during the summer.
They tell us they've been seeing a rise in calls related to reckless driving, noise disturbances, and takeovers of parking lots and roadways.
They say these events pose a direct safety risk due to large uncontrolled crowds and the potential for crashes and violence.
Hunter Mercurio, the Public Information Officer for the Reno Police Department, says, "We're going to be cracking down on street racing through multi-agency operations. This is going to be happening all summer, every weekend. We want to make sure that we post the statistics and let our community know that we're out there. We want to make sure that we're avoiding traffic collisions and fatalities."
Those caught participating in these races could be cited, arrested, or have their cars towed.
People can help by reporting when they see large groups of cars out together or if they run into cars that are speeding and racing.
Mercurio says, "You can always call the non-emergency number, or you can call emergency services, depending on the severity of what's happening. Just make sure if you do see people racing or speeding down the road, slow down. Get your space away from them so that you can properly prepare for those situations."
Police say many people who participate in these races can be under the influence of alcohol, marijuana and other drugs and can also often be underage.
Many times, it leads them to make DUI arrests and have cars impounded.
They say their goal is to keep the community safe and decrease the number of crashes that occur during this illegal activity.
Mercurio says, "It can be very dangerous. The most important reason we are enforcing these laws, and we're staying on top of it, is because we don't want to see people being injured, people being hurt over a very avoidable situation."
Police say open roads, straightaways and big intersections are common areas for illegal street racing.
