hey guys, i head about an article in the sac bee. so i signed up real quick and did a search i found this.... not sure if you knew or not, but here it is........
Fight against street racing gets a boost
A $5 million grant will train officers how to spot, legally stop souped-up cars.
By Tony Bizjak -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Thursday, August 4, 2005
Story appeared in Metro section, Page B3
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Sacramento city police and other Sacramento county law enforcement agencies have been selected as the first in the state to receive special training on how to catch street racers with souped-up cars.
Announcing a $5 million federal grant Wednesday, state and local officials vowed to crack down more on speeders, and especially young drivers who illegally alter their engines to make them faster.
"We're looking to make a heavy impact on speeding and street racing in this area," Sacramento Deputy Police Chief Steve Segura said during a news conference on Del Paso Road in North Natomas.
The event took place a few hundred feet from where Kimberly Marie Wheeler, 40, was hit and killed by a 19-year-old street racer on a June weekday afternoon as she left work.
The state's top transportation official, Business, Transportation and Housing Secretary Sunne Wright McPeak, called Wheeler's death an example of "a needless incident that has to be stopped."
Officers representing most law enforcement agencies in Sacramento County will be trained in ways they can legally stop a car they suspect has been illegally modified, then how to look for and recognize illegal modifications, officials said.
Those officers then will train others in their departments on how to spot and check out illegal engines, and on what citations they can write.
Notably, owners of illegally modified cars can be cited for failing to meet state emissions standards, which can lead to fines and fees of more than $2,000, said Gregory Sloan, a San Diego city police officer who will conduct the training.
The program funded by the grant is called Drag-Net.
The program also includes increasing efforts to find out where street racing occurs and to crack down on the races.
Law enforcement officials said they are uncertain if illegal street racing is on the rise.
Sloan of San Diego and Sacramento Undersheriff John McGinness both characterize street racing as an ongoing public safety problem for decades.
"It's been alive and well in San Diego for 50 years," Sloan said.
McGinness said, however, street racers in the past tended to race more in outlying rural areas, but now more are doing it often in populated areas.
Chris Murphy, head of the state Office of Traffic Safety, said his sense, although only anecdotal, is that more people are modifying their engines to make them faster, and that there are more street-racing related crashes.
Wheeler's family attended the announcement Wednesday, and expressed hope the money can make some difference.
"It's marvelous," said Nancy Wheeler, Kim's stepmother.
"Maybe it can make some sense of what happened."
"I think it was good they used my mom as an example," Tony Wheeler, 16, said.
So does this mean my cat back and tint will get me pulled over?
i got cats on my pro chamber. will they try to impound my car or write me a fix it ticket? i dont think i got "carb" stickers for any of my stuff 
.... discuss
Fight against street racing gets a boost
A $5 million grant will train officers how to spot, legally stop souped-up cars.
By Tony Bizjak -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Thursday, August 4, 2005
Story appeared in Metro section, Page B3
Get weekday updates of Sacramento Bee headlines and breaking news. Sign up here.
Sacramento city police and other Sacramento county law enforcement agencies have been selected as the first in the state to receive special training on how to catch street racers with souped-up cars.
Announcing a $5 million federal grant Wednesday, state and local officials vowed to crack down more on speeders, and especially young drivers who illegally alter their engines to make them faster.
"We're looking to make a heavy impact on speeding and street racing in this area," Sacramento Deputy Police Chief Steve Segura said during a news conference on Del Paso Road in North Natomas.
The event took place a few hundred feet from where Kimberly Marie Wheeler, 40, was hit and killed by a 19-year-old street racer on a June weekday afternoon as she left work.
The state's top transportation official, Business, Transportation and Housing Secretary Sunne Wright McPeak, called Wheeler's death an example of "a needless incident that has to be stopped."
Officers representing most law enforcement agencies in Sacramento County will be trained in ways they can legally stop a car they suspect has been illegally modified, then how to look for and recognize illegal modifications, officials said.
Those officers then will train others in their departments on how to spot and check out illegal engines, and on what citations they can write.
Notably, owners of illegally modified cars can be cited for failing to meet state emissions standards, which can lead to fines and fees of more than $2,000, said Gregory Sloan, a San Diego city police officer who will conduct the training.
The program funded by the grant is called Drag-Net.
The program also includes increasing efforts to find out where street racing occurs and to crack down on the races.
Law enforcement officials said they are uncertain if illegal street racing is on the rise.
Sloan of San Diego and Sacramento Undersheriff John McGinness both characterize street racing as an ongoing public safety problem for decades.
"It's been alive and well in San Diego for 50 years," Sloan said.
McGinness said, however, street racers in the past tended to race more in outlying rural areas, but now more are doing it often in populated areas.
Chris Murphy, head of the state Office of Traffic Safety, said his sense, although only anecdotal, is that more people are modifying their engines to make them faster, and that there are more street-racing related crashes.
Wheeler's family attended the announcement Wednesday, and expressed hope the money can make some difference.
"It's marvelous," said Nancy Wheeler, Kim's stepmother.
"Maybe it can make some sense of what happened."
"I think it was good they used my mom as an example," Tony Wheeler, 16, said.
So does this mean my cat back and tint will get me pulled over?
i got cats on my pro chamber. will they try to impound my car or write me a fix it ticket? i dont think i got "carb" stickers for any of my stuff 
