Las Vegas police launch ‘RAID’ squad to crack down on dangerous drivers
LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -- Las Vegas police are launching a new task force to crack down on dangerous drivers. They held a virtual new conference Tuesday night to unveil how they plan to step up enforcement.
Drivers caught behind the wheel doing dangerous stunts on city streets should prepare to pay, police say. Not only can dangerous drivers be arrested and have their car towed, now police will be reaching out to their insurance and letting them know they’re a dangerous driver.
“These are criminal acts that are occurring, and we have had enough. We will go after you. You may not know when, you may not know how, but you will be arrested and you will be cited,” said Sgt. Russ Bybee.
“There were people I thought were going to get hit and run over ... It was just so terrifying,” said Carrie Seitz. Four cars did doughnuts in an intersection on New Year’s in Seitz’s northwest valley neighborhood near Cheyenne Avenue and the 215 Beltway.
Seitz’s said despite calls to 911, police didn’t come.
“There has been an outcry. There has been a lot of people who have come to us for help, and I am here to let you know that we are doing something about it,” said Lt. Daryl Rhoads with LVMPD. “In 2021, we had 151 fatals on our roadway and that is unacceptable we need to do something about it.”
Police are launching a new team to stop reckless driving behavior along with reckless speeding and DUIs. They’ve created the Racing Apprehension and Intervention Detail, or the RAID squad.
“You may not see us there but believe me we are continuing to work and apprehend these people that are endangering our community,” Rhoads said.
The team also plans to go out and personally meet with two-time impaired driving offenders and warn them a third DUI would make them a felon.
Standing next to a van with hundreds of marks on it, Officer Mike Thiele said, “If you look at this van, you will start seeing all these hash marks … since 2019, when the strike team was formed, we put a hash mark on this van to show how many arrests the strike team has made ... If that doesn’t show you that we have a problem with DUIs, I don’t know what can.”
Seitz said she welcomes the creation of the RAID squad.
“I am so relieved and appreciative. Thank you to Metro,” Seitz said. She said she believes the focus on safety on the streets will make a difference in her neighborhood and throughout Las Vegas.
Las Vegas police launched a new email address to address street racing or street takeovers: raid@lvmpd.com. They ask the public to send videos, pictures and tips of the crimes or vehicles involved.
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