Chula Vista Police Drag Net Program Seperates Fact from Fiction

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Source: Presidents Office
Release Date: April 30, 2010
Update / Revision: N/A

The long awaited inteview with the Chula Vista Police Department's Drag Net program (April 16, 2010 article: Law Enforcement + Illegal Street Racing = Destruction of The Automotive and Motorsports Culture?) is released for public viewing.

The Q & A session was documented by hand and to ensure fairness in reporting Officer Voshell was provided an opportunity to review the article for changes previous to the public release. The below press release is indicative of a combined final edit between Evo Street Racers and Officer Voshell.
Drag Net

Evo Street Racers will not analyze Officers Voshell’s comments rather list her replies to the questions and allow readers to derive their own conclusions. Mr. Harrison did request that it be clearly documented that Officer Voshell appeared to be very genuine and forthcoming in her interest to utilize the Dragnet program for the purpose of directing people to the track and to reduce injuries/accidents through enforcement techniques.

Mr. Harrison: What is the purpose of the Drag Net program?

Officer Voshell: The Goal is to get it (illegal racing) off the street and onto track, to reduce deaths and injuries on the roadway as a result of illegal street racing. It is also to educate law enforcement to recognize illegal street racing properly. As well as educate the community about illegal street racing and it’s consequences.

Mr. Harrison: How is the Drag Net program funded?

Officer Voshell: It is a County wide grant for San Diego Education, Enforcement. A task force approach is used to formulate new ideas to discourage racing on public county streets…The Drag Net program encourages racers to go to a sanctioned event. In San Diego we work directly with RaceLegal to encourage people to “Race track not street”.

Mr. Harrison: The Evo organization has received numerous complaints about the Qualcomm (Racelegal) event in San Diego. The most disturbing complaint was that law enforcement was waiting outside the gates and entering into the pits to cite, impound, and arrest the participants. These were the same participants that elected to take there need for speed onto the track just as directed by law enforcement and now they are being penalized. I have personally been the recipient of a video which alleges to have been filmed in Qualcomm (Racelegal) that featured this complaint. Is this a rumor or is there truth behind the complaints?

Officer Voshell: Years ago there was an issue with one law enforcement agency that did some enforcement in that area that discouraged people. We (Chula Vista PD) were not part of this enforcement nor will we state which agency it was. Understand that we (Chula Vista Drag Net) don’t target these enthusiasts. Typically enforcement is interagency and they (Law enforcement agency in question) went out on their own. We (Chula Vista Drag Net) are not out there to get them (Illegal street racers) by providing them a place to race and then arrest them; it doesn’t make sense so we don’t practice it. I have seen complaints on the forums about Qualcomm because it doesn’t provide the atmosphere needed, track is too slick, not long enough, wait time to race, etc. but we must work with what we have. It would be great to have other options; however, it is very expensive to operate a track. Complaints need to be directed to their (RaceLegal) Director.

Mr. Harrison: San Diego California is infamous for utilizing inaccurate illegal street racing statistics yet there are numerous people ranging from politicians, professors, to track operators that state success based on these numbers. Evo strongly believes that it is as a result of these people perpetuating these grossly false statistics that result in misinforming the public at a cost of deepening the problem further. What is you opinion on the statistics provided and how are they reported?

Officer Voshell: Stuff is not being reported correctly; therefore, the statistics are not accurate. In fact statistics show a decrease in illegal street racing but the reality is that the problem still exists and is still a huge concern. Certain information is not recorded in countywide law enforcement databases, which makes it difficult to track street racing related collisions. For instance, street racing as a primary collision factor does not exist. Street racing collisions are categorized as excessive speed, unsafe movement, etc., which creates a dilemma if I am trying to get statistics from other agencies. There are major discrepancies in the reporting from agency to agency. Unless I have personal knowledge of an incident it is very unlikely that I will be able to find it.

Mr. Harrison: Is there a state wide code for illegal street racing?

Officer Voshell: Yes 23109A.

Mr. Harrison: Recipients of grants often have to perform certain duties while utilizing the monies allocated otherwise it can be taken away. A complaint registered with the Evo organization about Dragnet program is the focus to issue tickets for modifications versus stopping illegal street racing. Are there any specific requirements per the grant?

Officer Voshell: Yes we must educate 200 law enforcement officers and have two strategically planned field operations. We do not have a restriction of stats beyond these two requirements. The goals of the grant are measured by the reduction of deaths and injuries associated with illegal street racing.

Mr. Harrison: A second concern pertaining to the Dragnet program is that motorsports and automotive enthusiasts are unfairly being profiled. These same people have no interest in illegal street racing yet as a result of their automobile they are being harassed by law enforcement. What are you experiences regarding this complaint?

Officer Voshell: The thing is a lot of people think they are being harassed. We do look Police Radar Gun at the modifications but that is not the only thing. Most illegal street racers have loud audible modifications, flashy decals, and other external modifications. Typically you can look at the car and tell if a vehicle has been modified. They (Officers) are trained to look for specifics things, which include vehicle modifications and other signs that point to a person being involved in street racing. In my opinion, people who modify their vehicles with loud exhausts, large attractive wings, and advertise all the engine mods with decals are asking to get some attention from someone; law enforcement, their neighbor, friends otherwise why do it? I have seen many “sleeper” type vehicles that have a ton of mods but you would never know until you popped the hood.

Mr. Harrison: Does an officer’s observation of a legal modification that appears as “flashy” act as do cause to pursue and/or pull the driver over?

Officer Voshell: The driver just can’t be pulled over because he has a flashy car. Some sort of violation must have been observed by the officer, whether an equipment or moving violation. I have not encountered any officer that focuses to harass. Some officers even provide flyers or a coupon to Qualcomm although we are extremely limited on coupons to hand out.

Mr. Harrison: Does the Chula Vista PD encounter issues regarding illegal street racing, auto theft, and drugs?

Officer Voshell: It is intricately tied together. Street racers will blow-up their engine during a race and if they don’t have the money to go buy another engine at a junkyard then they can go out and steal a car, tear the engine out and dump the car somewhere else. This same problem can occur in sanctioned racing too, especially with Honda engines. Honda does not have crate replacement engines and sometimes Honda engines can be hard to find in junkyards. If a Honda owner does not have the money to buy another engine they can steal them. Hondas are one of the top stolen cars in the U.S. Even if the person doesn’t steal the engine himself chances are they will buy it off of someone that did. We find tons of stolen engines and transmissions in street racing type cars. Having stolen components is a quick way for racers to get their vehicles destroyed by the police department.

Mr. Harrison: Often the Evo organization receives correspondence indicating how surprised our members, readers, and viewers are about how extensive the illegal problem is. How does the general populace perceive your efforts?

Officer Voshell: I think that the general public is uneducated on the topic of illegal street racing. Normal citizens don’t know about it unless they are directly impacted by an incident. If your average citizen sees an illegal street race they would chalk it to some punk driving recklessly. The public needs to be educated about illegal street racing and the consequences so they can be more receptive to the program.

Mr. Harrison: At the core of Evo Street Racers efforts is the Evolution Solution. The Evolution Solution is a comprehensive solution that goes well beyond the track to reduce the problem by integrating solutions into the community. What efforts, if any, has the Dragnet program focused on beyond law enforcement?

Officer Voshell: I can’t stress education enough. Education is one of the key components to detour illegal street racing. Recently we (Chula Vista Police Department) taught a juvenile teen academy. A group of 36 high school students participated in a 10 week course to which they are taught about the position of law enforcement. I gave a class aimed at educating the student about illegal street racing. I also worked with Lydia DeNecochea (Director at RaceLegal) to compose an 8 minute public service announcement (PSA) detailing the consequences of illegal street racing. The PSA will be used as an educational tool to drive public awareness. We also work with Sandy Bauler with the Driven to Dare program that teaches safe driving practices throughout San Diego County.

The Drag Net program has also conducted training at military bases, street fairs, and car culture events. Keeping local TV informed assists in increasing awareness through their media. Working with the DA to ensure consistent adjudication as well as standardizing misdemeanor penalties to include meaningful community service. Dragnet collaborates with organizations of like mind to assist in every way to fulfill the mission of reducing death and injury on public roads. Achieved results are synergistic.

Mr. Harrison: Do you work with any private businesses to reduce the problem?

Officer Voshell: No, just none-profits.

Non profits would not exist without for profits. As an example the Drag Net program has worked with companies such as Stu Segal Productions, Panera, Filippi’s, who have contributed to our mission. Sandy Bauler has a for profit part of her business that receives funding from Ford, Geico etc… RaceLegal receives money from San Diego Harley Davidson, Sweet Treats, Pann Auto, Helix Motorsports etc..Ultimately we try to reach beyond our immediate realm to incorporated the entire community in our efforts to make a difference.

Mr. Harrison: Any additional information that you would like to provide to the millions of visitors, readers, and members of Evo organization?

Officer Voshell: Many officers are car enthusiasts and partake in motorsports activities, including myself. Our goal is to enforce the law against illegal street racers not “destroy” the automotive culture. Racing has been a favorite American pastime for decades and I know it will never stop. I don’t want it to stop I just want our public streets to be safe. I don’t want innocent children and adults to die because a street racer makes the bad decision to race on the public streets. We treat our citizens with dignity and respect while taking action to make our roads a safer place. Realistically we just want to take illegal street racing off the streets and direct their behavior to the track.

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