Baltimore Police Announce Email To Report Illegal Dirt Bikes

The Baltimore Police Department announced a new plan on Monday to crack down on illegal dirt bikes.

"We are going to create a initiative to stop these illegal dirt bikes that are terrorizing our city streets. Time and time again our citizens are complaining these dirt bikes are riding around throughout the city are terrorizing vehicle traffic and pedestrian traffic, and causing a big issue for our city," Major Johnny Delgado, Northwest District commander, said during a press conference streamed over the Internet. 

So the department has created an email account—dirtbikes@baltimorepolice.org— where residents can anonymously report where illegal dirt bikes are being kept in the city. The department will also be working with the Regional Auto Theft Task Force to get the dirt bikes off the street.

"Hopefully we’re going to deter some of these individuals that are riding dirt bikes illegally in the city," Delgado said.

Lt. Craig Hartman, commander of the Regional Auto Theft Task Force, said that 29 percent of the illegal dirt bikes on city streets are stolen.

"Innocent people are hurt by these things and [the riders] knowingly break the law. We all see it.  You all have filmed it. We have filmed it. We see what’s going on. It’s all over YouTube, and it’s a danger to the city. The citizens are actually asking that something be done about it and we’re trying to do the best we can," Hartman said.  

Delgado said that residents who do not have email can still call 911 and report illegal dirt bikes anonymously, and that he expects that being proactive, and getting the community to report the illegal dirt bikes that the efforts will have results.

Hartman said that the riders of dirt bikes know that city police are not allowed to pursue them, and that they hope this will provide another way to get illegal riders off the street.

"I’ll be honest, a lot of these riders, they’re looking for the attention. That’s why they’re on YouTube that’s why they’re doing the things that they do and they’re looking for the attention to get the police to pursue them," Hartman said. "And our pursuit policy prevents us from doing that. They know it. So we have to take a different approach in order to effectively prevent what they’re doing."