Springfield residents upset about ATVs in neighborhoods

A group of Springfield residents are upset about four-wheelers driving in their city neighborhood but Springfield police said it’s hard to stop.

Multiple calls had been made to 9-1-1 about all-terrain vehicles in the city since the start of the year, Springfield Police Sgt. Jerome Montico said. Complaints included noise and reckless driving.

As the weather warms up, Montico said calls increase daily and catching them becomes harder.

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Michael and Jennifer Gerelewicz said they often see ATVs drive past their Springfield home.

“They are just really loud and they are obnoxious. They run around here with no lights on nothing but helmets and backpacks,” Jennifer Gerelewicz said.

She and her husband are a part of the Warder Park Crime Watch. She has come in contact with about five or six ATV drivers while out on patrol. She’s seen them — and reported them to police — as late as 2 a.m. some days.

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“They know they can get away with it because the cops can’t go where the ATV goes,” Jennifer Gerelewicz said.

ATVs are illegal in the city. They cannot be on the street in public places like parks, golf courses and school yards, Montico said. If the drivers are caught, they will be subject to criminal action like criminal trespassing and traffic citations.

“If they are stopped and cited on a roadway, their ATVs are most likely going to be towed away also,” he said.

They also could be cited for violation of noise ordinances and fined.

But Montico said officers and their cruisers often can’t follow them or don’t chase for safety reasons.

“They are difficult for officers to be able to catch up with because they can go other places that police cruisers can’t … We (also) have to take into regard the safety of the riders of the ATV and the other citizens that may be in other cars or out on foot walking dogs.”

She and her husband have two children, ages 2 and 4. The ATVs have scared their children.

“It’s horrible. They wake up, my kids wake up in the middle of the night screaming and crying,” he said.

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