Colorado sheriff's office targets street racing in push for new legislation

Despite years of enforcement efforts, authorities in one Colorado county say complaints about illegal street racing and street takeovers continue to rise.

"It's our number one complaint," Jefferson County Sheriff Reggie Marinelli said.

Marinelli said while the issue isn't new, the scale and frequency of the incidents have grown -- along with how they are promoted online.

"It's much different today because of the number of participants and the amount of advertising that goes on," she said.

Residents have voiced growing concerns, saying the activity is happening both day and night -- even outside of homes.

"I've heard from people who have been trying to get home from work and end up in the middle of these street races. They're scared to death," Marinelli said.

According to the Colorado Street Racing Working Group -- a statewide task force formed to curb the illegal activity -- there were nearly 2,000 citizen reports in 2024. So far this year, the group has already received 1,473 complaints.

Colorado State Trooper Sherri Mendez said the task force conducted several targeted operations last year.

"Last year, the Street Racing Working Group made about 500 contacts and issued 360 citations," Mendez said. "To me, that's a small victory."

Still, Marinelli believes more needs to be done. She's urging lawmakers to increase penalties, provide law enforcement with modern tools to respond more effectively, and hold more people accountable, not just drivers and promoters.

"It's not just promoters or the drivers, but also the spectators; the people cheering them on," Marinelli said. "Think of any other major crime. What would it be like for another major crime for people to be cheering it on or spectating?"

Marinelli is now working with state Rep. Monica Duran to draft legislation that would be introduced in the upcoming legislative session.

"There has to be consequences for people's actions," Marinelli said.

CBS Colorado reached out to Duran's office for comment on next steps, but did not receive a response.

We also reached out to groups that organize large car meetups -- which law enforcement says often spill over into illegal street activity -- for their thoughts on possible changes, but did not hear back.