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TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Lieutenant Andrew Wolcott
Aurora Police Department
DATE: May 1, 2025
SUBJECT:
An Ordinance Amending Chapter 27, creating Section 27-135, titled "Vehicular Nuisance".
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this ordinance is to amend the city code to allow the police department to charge the registered owner of a vehicle with fleeing and eluding a peace officer.
BACKGROUND:
In recent years, street take-overs, car meet-ups, side-shows, unpermitted vehicle parades and drag racing have become a large nationwide trend. Social-media based groups coordinate large gatherings throughout the Chicago area. The groups coordinate to meet at various locations including intersections and parking lots. The groups are meeting to show off their cars, to celebrate holidays, to have unpermitted car parades and/or to drag race. The groups typically fund their vehicles and the events through views, likes and shares on social media, which entices them to be more provocative at these events in order to increase their social media followings.
These events cause many issues for our residents and businesses. Roadways and parking lots are damaged, neighbors are disturbed by interruptions to traffic flow, speeding vehicles and loud engines. We have also had several people injured in these incidents. These groups have come to Aurora with up to 200 vehicles with participants from all over the Chicago area.
Some groups have poured gasoline on roadways and parking lots, which they light on fire to enhance their social media followings. They are also using fireworks for the same purpose. Part of the trend involves these groups even using stolen vehicles, which they don’t hesitate to damage during donuts and burnouts. Across the country, including in Chicago, firearms are frequently carried by these groups and displayed on social media.
As a result of these incidents, we have had to pull officers away from responding to other calls for service and have had to hire overtime to try and combat the issues. The events require large number of officers due to the aggressiveness of the groups.
DISCUSSION:
When officers arrive on scene, the vehicles typically flee from the location and travel in large numbers to another location in another city, until they are then approached by officers in that community, where they continue the cycle by going back to the original city or to third city. As they travel in between, they are reving engines, driving erratically and doing burnouts. This causes alarm for our residents who are calling about the noise from the vehicles.
The cars flee in large groups such that immediate enforcement is difficult and unsafe for our officers and other motorists. The fleeting vehicles have jumped curbs and extinguished their headlights to avoid being stopped. We have had officers surrounded by these groups and even had an officers' squad windows broken by an event attendee. For safety reasons ,police officers often must terminate the chase or apprehension and are therefore unable to physically identify the driver. Absent a positive identification of a driver of a motor vehicle, the registered owner of a motor vehicle is in the best position to know who is operating the registered owner’s motor vehicle and to prevent the motor vehicle from being used for these activities.
IMPACT STATEMENT:
This goal of this ordinance is to deter people from hosting, attending and participating in these events in Aurora to police resources, to enhance the community and increase public safety.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Staff recommends the approval of this Ordinance.
cc: Rules, Administration, and Procedures Committee
CITY OF AURORA, ILLINOIS
ORDINANCE NO. _________
DATE OF PASSAGE ________________
title
An Ordinance creating Sec. 27-135 of the Code of Ordinances entitled "Vehicular Nuisance."
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WHEREAS, the City of Aurora has a population of more than 25,000 persons and is, therefore, a home rule unit under subsection (a) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution of 1970; and
WHEREAS, subject to said Section, a home rule unit may exercise any power and perform any function pertaining to its government and affairs for the protection of the public health, safety, morals, and welfare; and
WHEREAS, in recent years the police department has seen an increase in street take-overs, car meet-ups, side-shows, unpermitted vehicle parades and drag racing; There have been well over 978 of these incidents over the last 4 and a half years; and
WHEREAS, roadways and parking lots are damaged, and residents have been disturbed by interruptions to traffic flow, speeding vehicles and loud engines.
WHEREAS, vehicle occupants and observers have been injured in Aurora because of these incidents.
WHEREAS, it is difficult for police to stop the large amount of vehicles involved in these incidents and attempting to identify the driver is an impossible task, requiring significant police resources, including, but not limited to, multiple hours spent reviewing video, preparing police reports, and conducting interviews; often without any arrests due to not being able to positively identify the driver of involved vehicles; and
WHEREAS, absent a positive identification of a driver of a motor vehicle, the registered owner of a motor vehicle is in the best position to know who is operating the registered owner’s motor vehicle and to prevent the motor vehicle from being used for these illegal, dangerous, nuisance activities; and
WHEREAS, for the benefit of the health, safety and welfare of the City’s citizens, when
drivers or operators of a motor vehicle commit criminal violations it is necessary and desirable to charge the registered owner of the vehicle used to commit the offense; and
WHEREAS, in an effort to protect the public health, safety, and welfare, the City of has a clear and compelling interest in exercising its home rule authority as set forth herein; and
WHEREAS, the City Council deems it to be in the best interest of the health, safety, and public welfare to amend Chapter 27, regarding Offenses to the Public, by adding section 27-135, Vehicular Nuisance.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the City Council of the City of Aurora, Illinois, as follows: that Chapter 27, of the Code of Ordinances shall be and hereby is amended to add section 27-135 “Vehicular Nuisance,” as reflected in Exhibit A, and further;
BE IT ORDAINED, that the Corporation Counsel and City Clerk shall be and hereby are authorized and directed to correct any scrivener's or other non-substantive errors in Exhibit A upon codification.