Springfield police discuss dirt bike issues, complaints decrease

Date: 8/23/2023

SPRINGFIELD — The issue of dirt bikes in the city of Springfield might be a concern for some residents, but according to police officer Mike Lee, it has improved significantly over the past few years.

The Working Group on Neighborhood Quality of Life met on Aug. 15 to discuss the matter, to which Lee shared statistics to back his claim.

He said he investigated the dirt bike situation and there are currently 42 bikes held and seized, when the officers can stop and detain. Oftentimes, people will jump off and leave the bikes behind.

“We take the bike, and we tow it and they’re not getting it back,” Lee said.

In 2020 and 2021 he noted that dirt bikes were a much bigger problem. He said it is usually the 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. shift when most of the calls come in for this type of issue. In July 2021, there were 435 calls that came in from the public regarding dirt bikes. In July 2023, on the same shift, there were only 158 calls.

“I think we are making a difference,” Lee said.

He shared that the Police Department has changed its strategy, as turning on the blue lights to stop the riders only “entertained” them. Now, the Massachusetts State Police and Hampden County Sheriff’s Department are involved and utilize unmarked cars to monitor the dirt bikes.

“If they stop, we can usually get to them. Often, we’ll just follow them all the way to their driveway,” he added.

Lee said he attends neighborhood meetings and hears people say they don’t see the police out there, but he assured that they are. They are in minivans, pickup trucks and Hondas, because the officers do not want the dirt bikes to know.

He went on to say that 16 deployments were made over the last two months specifically focused on dirt bikes.

Working Group on Neighborhood Quality of Life Chair Zaida Govan said she thought the dirt bikes were going to be an issue this summer but thanked the officers for their work on this and for being out there monitoring it.