Police warn of potential street takeovers this Labor Day weekend

Local police departments are preparing for potential street takeovers in Manchester and Willimantic on Saturday and Sunday.

These two would be the latest in a string of takeovers this summer that have impacted West Haven, Orange, New Haven, Vernon and other local towns and cities.

“Definitely not going to go that way and definitely avoid it," said Lorenzo Secola, who lives near Buckland Street and Pleasant Valley Road where the takeover is said to be taking place.

He plans to just avoid the intersection altogether after hearing about a potential takeover. Others more are sympathetic to the riders, but not at the expense of drivers on the road.

“You are going to do what you are going to do, just be careful and don’t harm everybody else, don’t put anyone else in harm's way," Sheila Gindick said.

But Manchester Police made a statement Friday calling attention to potential riders to deter them from coming. They plan to boost patrols for the holiday weekend.

In a statement, they said, “The Manchester Police Department's foremost objective is to ensure the safety of the public. Given past incidents and the unpredictable conduct of participants, we are committed to providing the community with early notification to potential hazards to ensure their well-being. Furthermore, we wish to caution prospective attendees that our officers will promptly and efficiently address any unlawful activities.”

Manchester isn’t alone. Willimantic is also putting out a warning about a separate takeover planned for Sunday.

Chief of Police Paul Hussey said they learned of the event via social media, and there could be riders from as far away as New York and Massachusetts.

“It’s unfortunate but we are taking a proactive approach so we will be beefing up patrols all weekend," Hussey said.

He is asking you to call police if you see any illegal riding, or if you get caught in the middle of a takeover, and added if there is any illegal riding, they have no problem issuing tickets, fines and making all necessary arrests.

“I would really like for us not to have to arrest anybody," Hussey said. “But we are just not going to tolerate lawlessness. There are better ways to spend our Labor Day weekend.”

So far this year, Willimantic police have seized 12 dirt bikes, but Hussey said given the growing problem statewide, he wouldn’t be opposed to speaking with lawmakers in Hartford to discuss potential statewide solutions.

Others believe the best solution is to give the riders a place to go so they don’t use the roads.

“If they want things like that to stop, why don’t they give people places to ride," said Brian Woodbury of Westfield, Massachusetts.

He points to the lack of trails and other places to legally ride dirt bikes and ATVs as a part of the problem and would like to see more legal options for potential riders.

“I think they should have more places accessible to ATV and dirt bike riders instead of having these street takeovers," Woodbury said.