Police address street racing concerns after fatal crash

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - On April 14, KRDO13 reported on the passing of Deanna Stemler, a 77-year-old woman who died from the injuries she suffered in a head-on collision. Police believe drivers were street racing and that one crossed into oncoming traffic, hitting Stemler head-on.

Since the report was published, KRDO13 has received numerous messages and emails from viewers regarding street racing concerns in Colorado Springs. Many residents raised concerns over streets such as Briargate Boulevard, Powers Boulevard and Garden of the Gods Road.

On April 16, KRDO13 asked the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) about what is being done to address concerns and stop illegal street racing in the city. The department says this is an issue it is actively working to address.

"This has been an issue across the city for quite some time. We've seen street racing as a problem. We have a lot of open area, and the city is such an expansive city. So it is something that we see quite often. At CSPD, we have somebody who falls within our specialized enforcement Division bureau, a lieutenant who really puts together operations when we can to proactively approach street racing," explained Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez.

Chief Vasquez said a new way the department is trying to tackle street racing is by using new technology.

"We now have drones across the city, right? And so what we're seeing as a different approach is that we can now pop a drone up, and we can start handing that drone or that street racing group off to different drones, so we can sort of enforce it in a safer manner," said Chief Vasquez.

The police chief also noted that officers face safety concerns when it comes to enforcement.

"Oftentimes, what happens when an officer gets behind somebody who's street racing is that they run from us. That creates a very dangerous situation for our city, for our people who are out there just driving, trying to get to a restaurant or trying to get home. And so our policy is that we're not going to pursue unless it's a violent crime. But now with the drones, we have another option, so we'll start seeing that come into play as we go into this summer," said Chief Vasquez.

Chief Vasquez expressed hope for how the technology can assist their department in these traffic enforcement operations. He also noted that the department needs more officers to conduct more traffic enforcement.

Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade added that this is one of the biggest concerns he hears from residents.

"Traffic safety is probably one of the biggest feedback we have from our residents. We talk about adding more officers when we talk about adding technology. And I know sometimes there's pushback, because of privacy and Big Brother watching. I want our residents to hear this clearly. We have no interest in your personal lives. When we talk about our ability to keep our city safe, things like drones, license plate readers, that is why we have this technology because it gives us the ability to identify those who are committing a crime, making our community unsafe, and address it quickly," explained Mayor Mobolade.

Mayor Mobolade said he plans to continue pushing for technology to help officers respond as quickly as possible.

KRDO13 also asked police whether residents need to call in street-racing reports or if they will be proactively policing.

"When we get those calls in, of course, then we're going to fly on the calls that are appropriate to fly on. If we're having some calls, as I mentioned, that are really low in priority, we can clear those calls oftentimes without sending an officer to it. But we do have proactive enforcement. When I talked about intelligence-led policing, those proactive units all under one umbrella, there are operations across our city happening every single day. And for us to be able to use the drones on those operations, we know where, for example, we know that we have a felon who's committed a lot of violent crimes. We want to make sure we're doing this in a safe manner. We'll get that drone up and help our officers stay out of the area and watch what's happening, providing that feedback and really making it a much more safe operation. So we do do them outside of call for service also," explained Chief Vasquez.

CSPD tells KRDO13 that what has happened in the past is that when the department puts together a street racing enforcement detail, it partners with the El Paso County Sheriff's Office (EPSO) and Colorado State Patrol (CSP) to bolster its numbers, and historically, the department has used the state patrol airplane to assist. CSPD says it is evaluating and talking about how exactly it can bring in the Drones as First Responders (DFR) as another tool for street racing enforcement, but has not ironed out any specific plans yet.

We also asked if there has been any progress in filing charges against the suspected street racer accused of causing Deanna Stemler's death.

The case is still very open and active, and we are making progress but we don’t have any specific updates to share on that at this point. Our focus is on a thorough and complete investigation that will ultimately lead to justice for Deanna Stemler.

- A Spokesperson for the Colorado Springs Police Department

Neighbors who live in the area of that collision are calling for more to be done. They say there have been deadly crashes there in the past and that if nothing changes, they will only continue.

"That could have been any of us. Something needs to be done, and we're begging the police to do something," said neighbor Susan Tuttle.

Tuttle, surrounded by other residents, explained to KRDO13 the constant stream of noise from cars racing down Briargate Boulevard.

"This is an everyday thing, it's daytime, nighttime. They're racing, and I can hear it all day long," explained Tuttle.

Neighbors jumped in, adding how speeding drivers have hit multiple fences in the area as well.

"And I just wait for the crash sound coming through the fence," said Scott Anderson.

They tell KRDO13 they understand the police department is facing budget constraints, but believe this should be a priority.

"If they can't afford to have an officer out here all the time, a speed camera up there, I guarantee in less than a week you're going to have so many tickets go out. You're going to understand how bad the issue is," said Tuttle.

Another neighbor tells KRDO13 that they lived with their home backing up to the street and actually moved because of the street racing.

"It was so noisy. There's a bedroom on the garage side, which is away, in my house; it's away from the street. So I moved to that bedroom so it wouldn't be so loud. But then I moved from that, that home, to the back side of the complex so I wouldn't hear all that," said Gail Cameron.

Cameron said she'd like to see a drone or a camera along the road that would record speeding and then issue tickets to the drivers. Another resident raised the idea of shaving down the hill on Briargate Boulevard.

"If they have any extra money in the budget, they could also shave down that hill so that it's not a blind hill. That way, people can see what's coming out," said Phyllis Regalmuto.

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