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California: Police Raid Car
Enthusiast Gathering, Generate Revenue
the
newspaper
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Using $503,000 in federal and state gas tax revenue
to pay for overtime, nine police agencies in Riverside, California
sent more than one hundred police officers to surround a gathering
of automotive enthusiasts. Owners of imported sport compact cars
had gathered at the Canyon Crossing shopping center on Friday
night to swap stories, talk about their passion for cars and show
off the latest enhancements to their rides. At around 11pm police
surprised participants by blocking all exits with fifty police
cruisers. Officers then began a warrantless search and interrogation
operation of the 150 vehicles that were present.
"If you're not into street racing, why would you need that?"
Riverside Police Traffic Sergeant Skip Showalter asked an enthusiast
during a similar crackdown last year. "Why would you want
more power going to your car?"
Police issued a total of forty-eight tickets for "engine
modifications" with police accusing the owners of the parked
vehicles of being street racers. Another fifty tickets were issued
for paperwork violations, dark window tinting and lack of a front
license plate. The most revenue, however, will be generated from
the fees imposed on twenty vehicles that were confiscated. Despite
labeling the parking lot raid as taking place at a "street
racing venue," Riverside Police offered no evidence that
any street racing actually took place.
(Article continues below)
Across the state, gas tax funds are regularly used to fund similar
crackdowns that generate big revenue. In 2004, the California
Highway Patrol issued a total of 101,553 "modified car"
citations worth $10.5 million according to CHP data obtained by
TheNewspaper.
Other law enforcement agencies participating in Friday night's
raid included the California Highway Patrol, Riverside County
Sheriff's Department, and police from Baldwin Park, Fontana, Irwindale,
Moreno Valley, Ontario and Mount San Jacinto Community College.
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INFOWARS:
BECAUSE THERE'S A WAR ON FOR YOUR MIND
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