Brooklyn Park police look to put a stop to gatherings involving hundreds of cars
Crowds of cars packing parking lots and making noise at night — it's a troubling trend that's hit several suburbs this spring.
One police department wants to put the brakes on big gatherings before anyone gets hurt.
Brooklyn Park Inspector Matt Rabe says a few people admiring their cars in a parking lot isn't a problem. It's when hundreds get together and things get out of control.
"Sometimes we can have 400, 500 cars all showing up at the same place, late into the evening. They are loud, revving their engines, sometimes driving erratically and recklessly. It can be quite dangerous," said Rabe.
That's what happened last month, when about 450 vehicles showed up in a Dollar Tree parking lot in Brooklyn Center. A Minnesota Department of Transportation traffic camera captured the incident as did dashcam video from officers.
The Minnesota State Patrol, the Hennepin County Sheriff's Department and local police, eventually got everyone to leave.
After the gathering was cleared in Brooklyn Center, many of the drivers went to Brooklyn Park and took over a Park and Ride on 95th Avenue.
That too was cleared by law enforcement, but it took time and resources to make it happen.
"If someone is calling 911 in another part of our city, but all our cops are dealing with 400 cars, that's a problem for us," said Rabe.
During a ride-along this past weekend, Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher talked about another large car gathering that took place on Raspberry Island.
"We got them off the island because that had potential to get very bad," said Fletcher.
Rabe said Brooklyn Park police are actively working with other departments to track these meetups. In the past, they've let drivers go. But if the large gatherings continue, he said they'll likely start ticketing and towing.
"We would rather just say hey, knock it off and everybody goes about their business. But we've found that doesn't work quite frankly," said Rabe.
Rabe said his department will add extra officers during nights when car gatherings are expected.
He's also asking property owners to be vigilant and let them know if they see large crowds.
