Police confiscate 25 ATVs during sweep
ATVs confiscated
Prompted by repeated complaints from Somerton residents about the illegal use of unregistered ATVs on neighborhood streets, Philadelphia police confiscated eight of the vehicles during a surprise sweep on Sunday.
The crackdown was part of a citywide police initiative targeting illegal ATV use and drag racing that netted 25 ATVs and off-road motorcycles, along with six automobiles, police said. Officers from the East Police Division conducted the operation under the command of Inspector Mike McCarrick, the former captain of the 2nd Police District.
According to McCarrick, police confiscated eight ATVs from their users in the areas of Byberry Road and Damar Drive, where off-roaders notoriously tend to dodge and dart on public streets and private property near a CSX freight railroad. Police also impounded a truck on Damar that was allegedly being used to transport ATVs to the area.
Elsewhere in the city that day, police confiscated two other ATVs that had been reported stolen in burglaries involving Northeast homes. While it is not illegal to own an ATV in the city, it is illegal to use them on public streets or property, including parks, recreation centers and schoolyards.
Under city statutes, ATV owners can only reclaim their vehicles through the court system, a process that can be time consuming and prohibitively expensive, McCarrick said. So impounded ATVs often go unclaimed.
Police carried out a similar sweep several weeks ago during which 10 ATVs were seized in the 15th Police District and another eight in the 8th district, McCarrick said. ••
