Dana Point, Coastal Cities Cite 445 Noisy Drivers On Sunday

DANA POINT, CA —The city of Dana Point joined the Newport Beach Police Department in focusing on loud and modified vehicle exhaust this summer. A large group of coastal police and sheriff's department agencies conducted a successful noise enforcement operation over the weekend.

The departments pulled over a total of 445 cars with loud/modified vehicle exhaust and street racing. The purpose, they say, is to quell the growing, negative impact on the safety of residents and quality of life for those who live, work and play in Orange County's coastal towns.

On Sunday, a joint enforcement operation utilizing over fifty motorcycle officers and other police officers from the Newport Beach Police Department, Seal Beach Police Department, Huntington Beach Police Department, Laguna Beach Police Department, Irvine Police Department, Santa Ana Police Department, Orange County Sheriff’s Department –along with the cities of Dana Point and San Clemente, California Highway Patrol, both Santa Ana and Westminster Offices, as well as four investigators from the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and four referees from the California Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) participated in enforcement efforts along the entire length of Coastal Orange County as well as freeway and arterial access points to the coast.

"The Newport Beach Police Department would like to thank our allied law enforcement and state agency partners for their assistance with this enforcement operation and we look forward to further joint operations in the coming months," a spokesperson said.

Because of this successful joint operation:

• 445 Vehicles were stopped for violations
• 348 Vehicles were cited for vehicle code violations (which includes loud/modified exhaust)
• 44 Vehicles were inspected on-site for modified exhaust violations by a BAR Referee
• 16 Vehicles were referred to on-site DMV Investigators for possible registration violations
• 4 Vehicles were cited for exceeding 100 MPH
• 4 Vehicles were stopped and the drivers/passengers were arrested for (2) possession/sales of narcotics, (1) unlicensed driver and (1) DUI

NBPD Traffic Commander, Lieutenant Damon Psaros, commented on the results of the operations.

“In the past few months, the Newport Beach Police Department has conducted several successful operations within the city, but the problem neither begins nor ends at our city limits," Psaros said. "Through a partnership with every other law enforcement agency along Coastal Orange County, as well as several neighboring law enforcement agencies with freeway and arterial access points to the coast, this enforcement operation has significantly expanded.”

The primary purpose of the operation, according to Psaros, was education and aligning with other beach city agencies.

These participating agencies have pursued similar education measures as the City of Newport Beach such as issuing press releases, visiting car shows, as well as placing several electronic signboards with messaging in high traffic areas within their cities and jurisdictions to educate the public on vehicle exhaust and street racing laws in California.

In preparation for these joint enforcement operations, the Newport Beach Police Department Traffic Division developed and hosted California POST-approved training for allied law enforcement agencies that will participate.

The course involves both classroom and hands-on, in-field vehicle inspections under the instruction of referees from the California Bureau of Automotive Repair. This training ensures police officers can more readily identify loud/modified vehicle exhaust and other illegal modifications to vehicles to increase their effectiveness in enforcement efforts.

Last fall in Laguna Beach, over 1,500 citations were given out for noise patrol.

Read more: Loud Exhaust Patrol Cites Over 1,500; Resident Riders Make Noise