Yakima Police may soon be cracking down on street racing in the city with the help of a new city ordinance. The department has been conducting emphasis patrols around the city since the first of the year. Officers have been stopping an average of 200 drivers a week. Police are trying to slow drivers down a prevent serious crashes.

CITY LEADERS LOOKED CLOSELY AT A PROPOSED ORDINANCE

On Tuesday the Yakima City Council talked about street racing being a problem in Yakima. In fact the council talked about an ordinance city staff has developed based on the City of Fife model to combat street racing.
The city of Fife passed a law in 2020 that makes it illegal to watch or participate in illegal street racing in what the city calls "no racing zones." The zones include major streets in the city of Fife where officers say they see a lot of street racing.
Authorities say there are many areas in the city that are popular with street racers including West Nob Hill Blvd. and Ahtanum Blvd.

CITY POLICE ISSUED 68 CITATIONS FOR STREET RACING

Yakima City officials want a similar law in the city to stop the problem and prevent someone from being seriously injured or killed. A story in the Yakima Herald Republic says the Yakima Police Department wrote 68 citations for street racing and 64 citations for reckless driving between January 2020 and May 2021.
Many cities have faced the problem of street racing and it's been a problem in Yakima in the past. City officials say they'll talk more about street racing at the next Yakima City Council meeting.

THE COUNCIL ALSO TALKED ABOUT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

The city council heard presentation from the Yakima Police Department about the problem of domestic violence. Police say they see a high number of domestic incidents every year that result in serious assaults or murders. Domestic violence cases now account for 28% of the caseload of city and county prosecutors.
In 2020 the city of Yakima reported 961 cases of domestic violence. During that same year the city of Tacoma saw 771 cases and the city of Vancouver reported 742 cases.