Albuquerque Police release results of citywide Speeding and Racing operations
March 23, 2021
Today Chief of Police Harold Medina, APD leaders and Mayor Tim Keller released results from ongoing citywide, weekend speeding and racing operations.
Speeding and racing have become among the most common complaints that come into the City. Many of the well-known areas for speeding and more specifically drag racing have become all too familiar for fatal and serious injury crashes.
"This is a significant quality of life issue for Albuquerque residents,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “Racing up and down our streets is so deadly especially while more kids, seniors, pedestrians and cyclists are out during this pandemic. It’s time for us to do what Albuquerque has done before and I know we can do again, draw a line and say ‘enough is enough.’ Every neighborhood in this city deserves safe streets.”
Since the weekend operations kicked off in October, city-wide APD has given out citations for the following:
- Speeding: 5,017
- Racing: 73
- Exhaust: 145
- Misc. 10,323
- Careless driving: 260
- Reckless: 59
- DWI: 80
APD has worked closely with the Mayor’s Office and City Councilors to develop a Speeding and Racing Enforcement Plan. Several areas have been identified across the city where speeding and racing run rampant.
The targeted areas include the Montgomery corridor for Carlisle to Tramway, Coors Boulevard from NM528 to Central, Paseo Del Norte from I-25 to Tramway, Eubank Boulevard from Montgomery to Lomas and Unser from Gibson to Paseo Del Norte.
Enforcement in these areas has increased police presence and officers have been, and will continue conducting high visibility traffic stops on violators with the main emphasis of speeding, racing, and aggressive driving.
Additionally, APD Police Service Aides handed out close to 250 letters to business across the city educating them City Ordinance 8-6-13 and illegal after-market modifications to vehicles that result in increased noise or exhaust. The ordinance states the following:
(A) Operating Muffler. It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a motor vehicle if such vehicle is not equipped with a properly attached, operating muffler in good working order of construction sufficient to prevent excessive or unusual noise of the motor or to muffle or deaden the sound from the motor.
(B) Muffler Changes or Modification. No person shall modify or change the exhaust muffler, intake muffler or any other noise abatement device of a motor vehicle in a manner such that the noise emitted by the motor vehicle is increased above that emitted by the motor vehicle as originally manufactured. Such prohibited changes or modifications shall include but not be limited to the use of cut-outs, by-passes, illegal mufflers defined in division (C) below, or other similar devices.
(C) Dealers and the like. No person shall sell, offer for sale, install or offer to install any illegal muffler, exhaust cut-out, by-pass, or other device which increases or tends to increase the exhaust noise of a motor vehicle. For the purposes of this section, an illegal muffler is defined as any straight-through muffler which does not contain baffles, including but not limited to glass packs, steel packs, and straight pipes.
('74 Code, § 9-5-20.14) (Ord. 65-1974)
“We cannot continue to allow drivers in Albuquerque to travel so dangerously on our roadways,” said Interim Chief Harold Medina. “APD has been working for years to combat speeding and racing in neighborhoods all across Albuquerque, but with a citywide effort, I believe we can really make an impact and change the driving culture.”
The purpose of this operation is to promote a culture that prioritizes safe travel and responsible driving. As a way to provide a quicker and more effective way to report speeding concerns, residents can call 242-COPS or use the OneABQ app.