FORT WORTH, Texas — Texas Governor Greg Abbott and other North Texas and law enforcement leaders met Wednesday as Abbott ceremoniously signed two bills that address street racing in the state.
Abbott was joined by Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker, Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes, Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Weybourn and Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw to speak on the impact of the laws and interagency cooperation in addressing street racing and street takeovers in Texas.
On July 30, the governor called to have Texas DPS troopers policing city streets. The controversial call came after Austin police called on DPS for help during a street takeover event. At least five illegal street takeovers happened late Saturday night in Austin over a few hours.
Last month, a street takeover in Fort Worth led to a police chase and the arrests of five people. The group arrested in this incident were connected another set of viral Austin street takeovers that occurred in February, Fort Worth police said at the time.
On the evening of Feb. 18 and into the morning of Feb. 19, Austin police said they responded to seven street takeover events. A month later, police announced that 17 people were charged in connection to the incidents.
Gov. Abbott has signed two bills into law to crack down on the street takeovers:
- House Bill 1442 gives more tools to law enforcement and prosecutors to pursue organized street racing and takeover events across the state. Abbott said it adds two new offenses to the organized criminal activity statute: Reckless driving exhibition and racing on a highway. Law enforcement can also seize vehicles and contraband used in the commission of the crimes. It goes into effect Sept. 1.
- House Bill 2899 allows cars to be immediately removed and impounded if it was involved in a street takeover. This is already in effect.
"Both of these laws will safeguard Texans from dangerous and illegal street racing," Abbott said in the press conference. "Texas is a law and order state. As long as I am governor, we will back the blue, protect our citizens, and ensure that law enforcement have the tools they need to secure our streets."
Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker said the reality of street racing and street takeovers "are not victimless crimes."
"Sometimes what you see on TV or in social media is maybe sensationalized ... you see some young kids doing donuts in the middle of the street," Parker said. "And you forget that at the other end of that, oftentimes, lives are lost."
Parker told the story of a Fort Worth couple, Ben and Meg Arbour, who were killed after street racers struck them in November 2020. They were returning home from a date when they were struck by a vehicle that was racing another vehicle at high speeds.
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