Traffic Unit: Sideshow Safety Message
Petaluma Police Department
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 15, 2022
Issued by: Jennifer Pritchard, Community Engagement Liaison
[email protected], 707-778-4458
On Saturday, July 9th, Law Enforcement Personnel from the Petaluma Police Department, Santa Rosa Police Department, California Highway Patrol, Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety, Cotati Police Department, and Sonoma State University met in the City of Petaluma for a Sideshow Task Force to respond to information of a possible sideshow in Sonoma County. Shortly after 10:30 p.m. that same night, officers responded to various locations in Santa Rosa to prevent the sideshows identified from taking over intersections and creating a public safety threat to the community. As these Sideshow occurrences increase, we encourage the community to be proactive in reporting what they see and hear. Your willingness to call immediately, with extensive details, allows your local agencies to act swiftly so we can prevent harm to both property or that may occur to people or property.
While the general perspective is that these gatherings are meant for fun, Sideshows can potentially have serious and dangerous consequences. For community members unfamiliar with the dangers associated with sideshows, common activities include spinning the vehicle's tires while driving in a circle, sometimes referred to as “doughnuts" or “ghost riding," where the driver climbs out of the vehicle and onto the hood of the car, or they stand next to the car in motion. In many cases, drivers use highly customized vehicles or even small compacts. Participants usually organize the events through social media platforms and select centralized meeting locations. Sideshows can draw over 100 vehicles participating in these events, adding to the danger to both the drivers and spectators. Violent incidents, including fights, shootings, and fatal collisions, have occurred at some shows. Innocent drivers sometimes become trapped because the roadway is blocked by participants.
To combat Sideshow activity, cities have enacted no cruising laws and ordinances prohibiting spectators from watching the shows. There are many current vehicle code violations, including reckless driving, an exhibition of speed, and mechanical violations, for which the drivers can be cited to discourage continued behavior. Some law enforcement agencies have begun to impound vehicles for 30 days that were determined to be driving recklessly or participating in a Sideshow.
Local Sonoma County Law Enforcement agencies recognize that many car and racing enthusiasts want to enjoy this activity in safe areas. Fortunately for car and truck clubs, there are secure locations such as Sonoma Raceway, which offers Wednesday Night Drags, and Sonoma Drift, where drivers can legally race or drift their vehicles. Information on the Speedway can be found here: https://www.sonomaraceway.com/.
To report dangerous in-progress Sideshow activity, community members are encouraged to call 9-1-1 immediately. When calling our dispatch center, please remember to report the descriptions of the vehicle and driver, license plate, and the location of where the vehicle is traveling.
For non-emergencies or to submit tips that may aid in Sideshow activity reduction, community members can call the Petaluma Police Department mainline directly at 707-778-4372 or use the NIXLE platform; or go online to the Petaluma PD Crime Tip pages. These platforms allow community members to upload images and videos, which help in identifying Sideshow participants.
Petaluma PD online Crime Tip websites:
https://cityofpetaluma.org/file-police-report/
https://cityofpetaluma.org/submit-crime-tip/
Thank you for helping us increase public safety together.
Address/Location
Petaluma Police Department
969 Petaluma Blvd N
Petaluma, CA 94952
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 707-778-4372
TEXT-A-TIP - Text TIP PETPD followed by your message, to 888777