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Results for cruising

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Author: Glensor, Ronald W.

Title: The Problem of Cruising

Summary: This guide begins by describing the problem of cruising, and reviewing factors that contribute to it. It then identifies a series of questions to help you analyze your local cruising problem. Finally, it reviews responses to the problem, and what is known about them from evaluative research and police practice. You should note that while both cruising and street racing involve vehicles, some primary differences exist between them. Cruising is a pastime largely confined to downtown areas; sanctioned cruising can also provide an economic boost to the community. For example, northern Nevada's weeklong "Hot August Nights" event generated $132 million for the cities of Reno and Sparks, with more than 800,000 people attending (RRC Associates 2003). Conversely, street racing is typically an underground affair, causing many related problems. The simplest definition of cruising is "unnecessary repetitive driving." Attempts to legally define cruising have been more difficult, however, as people have successfully challenged anti-cruising ordinances in court on constitutional grounds. Since at least the 1950s, people have cruised for a variety of reasons: to show off their own car, to see other people's cars, to find racing competitors, to impress members of the opposite sex, and to socialize.2 Reinvigorated and glamorized by popular films such as American Graffiti, cruising remains an enormously popular rite of passage for many young people.3 Today's cruisers drive a variety of vehicles: classic cars, pickup trucks, mini-trucks, muscle cars, lowriders (whose chassis narrowly clear the ground), and even motorcycles. Cruisers are particularly prevalent on Friday and Saturday nights, and they can number in the thousands. Among the most common cruisers are the owners of classic, restored and custom cars, who most often view the activity as an opportunity to showcase their automobiles. Among the most common cruisers are the owners of classic, restored and custom cars, who most often view the activity as an opportunity to showcase their automobiles. Credit: Nattalie Hoch But cruising is not purely harmless fun. It creates problems for the police, nonparticipating motorists, some businesses, and the community at large. Among them are conflicts between cruisers (including gang-related violence), littering, noise (from vehicle engines, screeching tires, car stereos, and exuberant fans), traffic congestion (including obstruction of emergency vehicles), traffic crashes, and vandalism and unintentional property damage. While cruising creates business for some merchants, it impedes business for others. In some jurisdictions, cruisers have divided up along racial, ethnic, and subcultural lines: blacks, Hispanics, punkers and heavy metal groups, the cowboy/western set, and so forth. Sometimes these divisions lead to group conflicts and violence, causing injury to participants and innocent bystanders and heightening fear in the wider community. In some jurisdictions, cruising has taken on a "rock concert" environment in which disorder, violence, and police enforcement are integral to the experience, and even expected and desired by the participants.

Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services: 2004. 54p.

Source: Internet Resource: Problem-Oriented Guides for Police Problem-Specific Guides Series No. 29: Accessed May 21, 2018 at: http://www.popcenter.org/problems/pdfs/cruising.pdf

Year: 2004

Country: United States

URL: http://www.popcenter.org/problems/pdfs/cruising.pdf

Shelf Number: 95751

Keywords:
Anti-Social Behavior
Cruising
Nuisance Behaviors
Traffic Violations