Cincinnati City Council is considering local penalties for street takeovers, prompted by an event in mid-March involving about a hundred vehicles.
Council’s Public Safety and Quality of Life Committee passed a motion Tuesday asking city administration to look into an ordinance establishing civil fines and vehicle impoundment for at least six months, similar to rules in place in Louisville. The motion also asks city officials to research other policy options to address street takeovers.
“The word got out on social media for this event,” said Council member Mark Jeffreys, who sponsored the motion. “The word can also get out that you don’t want to come to Cincinnati [because] you’re going to get your car impounded for six months. That’s pretty severe.”
Jeffreys says the idea is based on rules passed by Louisville Metro Council in 2022 establishing a $1,000 civil fine for a first offense and $2,000 fines for subsequent violations. Impounded vehicles can be held for six months.
Current fees for impounded vehicles in Cincinnati include $190 for the tow, a $25 processing fee, $25 per day for storage at the impound lot (about $4,500 for six months) plus taxes. The impound lot requires full payment to release a vehicle and does not offer payment plans.
The motion will be up for a final City Council vote Wednesday. It directs city administration to prepare a report within 30 days with “a recommendation on an ordinance.” An actual ordinance would be need to be prepared at some point after that, and go up for a City Council vote.
March street takeovers
About a hundred vehicles participated in several street takeovers in Cincinnati on the night of March 14. The group moved to several locations in the city over the course of a couple hours.
Interim Police Chief Adam Hennie told Council officers are very cautious in approaching street takeovers to avoid any injuries.
"We waited until they made a mistake — we were in no rush," Hennie said. "We're gaining intelligence, we're gaining information about these vehicles, we're moving our resources."
CPD used drones to monitor the takeovers as they moved throughout the city.
The group eventually moved to Woodward High School, which Hennie says was ideal for moving in to make arrests because there are only a couple ways to exit.
Cincinnati Police arrested 45 people that night, and have arrested an additional 16 people since then. Most are in their 20s or 30s, but a few are 17 years old.
All were charged under a state law that went into effect in Oct. 2024 that makes it a first-degree misdemeanor to participate in street racing, stunt driving or street takeover on any public streets or on "private property that is open to the general public."
A first-degree misdemeanor carries up to 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. A person convicted of this crime specifically also must have their license suspended for at least 30 days and up to three years.
That state law can apply not just to drivers, but to passengers in a vehicle and even to bystanders who participate by recording the takeover for social media.
Police also towed 58 vehicles. Hennie says only nine of them were registered within the city of Cincinnati, with most coming from the Columbus area.
"All of these people, they thought they could go from another jurisdiction and come into Cincinnati, and they thought they could get away with doing this," Hennie said. "We're not going to tolerate this — we're going to arrest you, we're going to take your car. I'm not saying go do this anywhere else, but don't bring it into Cincinnati."
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