A recent post in the Citizens for the Revitalization of Lansdale Facebook group has once again triggered discussion about how to deal with a group of reckless teens commonly referred to as “wheelie kids.”
Discussions began in early April 2019, after the owner of West Main Diner attended the monthly Public Safety Committee meeting to seek police assistance in dealing with a group of kids that were frequently causing trouble outside of his restaurant. Dubbed the “wheelie kids,” the name stems from the groups penchant for riding wheelies down active roadways in the borough, often weaving in and out of traffic.
At the time, Lansdale Borough Police Chief Michael Trail and Lansdale Borough Mayor Garry Herbert sought ways to curb the reckless behavior, but added that enforcement could cause risk of harm to the kids, as well as liability issues for police and the borough.
“We have 28 street cameras. We see them all the time. We’ve had interactions with them, we’ve cited some kids, we’ve spoken to parents, but it hasn’t abated,” said Trail, at the April meeting. “It’s a very difficult situation because we’re talking about juveniles that won’t even listen to their parents, much less us. My fear is in regards to chasing these kids on bikes through traffic, as it creates tremendous amounts of liability for our police officers.”
Trail and Herbert said at the time that they would look into increasing the cost of the fine—which currently maxes out at $300—but those fines are set by state statute and cannot be increased at the local level. Other remedies included adding additional bike officers—something that Trail continues to pursue—but ultimately, the problem continues to persist.
On July 25, a Lansdale resident posted to the group regarding an incident that occurred at York Avenue Park the day prior. The resident stated that the “wheelie kids” were yelling and using profanity, and then it escalated into a fist fight. When the resident called police, the kids fled the scene, only to return later “without a care in the world.”
Over the four days that followed, the post received almost 300 comments from area residents, with many offering stories of similar interactions with the kids, and others advocating everything from educational to vigilante solutions to the problem. When reached for comment, Lansdale police did confirm that they were dispatched to the park for a disturbance between juveniles, but added that the juveniles had left prior to police arrival, and no victim of assault could be located.
Since the April meeting, Trail said that Lansdale Police have responded to 14 complaints related to kids riding bikes in the roadway. Of those complaints, five of them were closed with no contact with the subjects, eight resulted in warnings and calls to parents, and one state citation was issued.
“We ask parents to speak with their kids, and remind them of the dangers of such activities,” said Trail. “We ask the public to continue to call 9-1-1 to report such activity, but not to intervene.”
Trail added that the issue itself is dynamic, and that in order to remedy the situation, it’s going to take the effort of the community. Though police response is one part of the solution, having parents speak to their children and giving kids a place to go are equally important, Trail said.
“This is a community problem for which the police are one solution,” Trail said. “I would also support the creation of an area, perhaps the skate park at Fourth Street, as a place where kids can ride “wheelies” and such in a safe manner.”
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