RRPD to begin citing juveniles riding dirt bikes on city roads
RIO RANCHO, N.M. – Police officers in the City of Vision have said it before, and they’ll say it again, this just isn’t the same Rio Rancho as it was back in the day.
With more growth and development, they say it’s just not safe to ride dirt bikes around town anymore. There have been some bad accidents this summer with children on dirt bikes.
Rio Rancho Police Capt. Jacquelynn Reedy says it’s a city-wide issue, especially in subdivisions near dirt roads.
“Kids on dirt bikes and motor vehicles should not coexist, and it is a dangerous combination,” said Reedy.
According to the report, a kid on a dirt bike crashed into a minivan back in June.
“My husband ran over there, someone had already called 911, I believe the mom, I ran and got a towel and trying to stop the bleeding and stay with him, and do what we could until an ambulance got here,” said Lacey Lenentine, a Rio Rancho resident.
Things didn’t get any better this month.
“Unfortunately, worst case scenario has recently happened in July on two different occasions where we have had children and motor vehicles collide at a high rate of speed,” said Reedy.
But the problem remains children on dirt bikes.
“Where the dirt roads are perceivably close that is what we keep hearing, ‘Oh, you know, but they are so close to home.’ It doesn’t change the result in what we are seeing with these tragic incidences,” Reedy said.
Now they’re taking proactive measures and starting target operations in problem areas like Northern Meadows.
“We are doing everything we can to keep kids safe, but we really need the parents buy in on this one,” said Reedy.
Residents KOB 4 spoke to say the extra attention to the problem couldn’t come at a better time.
“I do think it is needed in this case because it definitely is posing a threat to the young families and the children who live in this area,” said Lenentine.
“Why not? It definitely can’t hurt, you know, just have someone out on the streets maybe able to pull these young men over and let them know they need to be careful out here,” said Jeremy Whittenberger, another Rio Rancho resident.
Back in April, they were having these issues and giving verbal warnings. Reedy says because it has become such a big issue, the department is now going to start citing children on dirt bikes who are driving on city roads.
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