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Residents press council for tougher enforcement as police staffing, impound policies discussed
Summary
Several residents urged stricter enforcement of street racing and reckless driving. Council and the police chief discussed impound authority, staffing levels, and traffic enforcement programs; the chief said five candidates were in background checks and the department expected to be fully staffed by June 1.
Dearborn Heights residents used the council’s public-comment period to press leaders for tougher enforcement of street racing and reckless driving, saying noisy, high-speed vehicles are creating safety risks in neighborhoods.
Speakers described recent incidents of cars racing through residential streets and urged the council to adopt stricter penalties and impound repeat offenders’ vehicles. “Until we start taking these cars away from these kids, they’re not gonna care about a ticket,” said resident Hassan Bezier, who told council members an incident left children and parked cars at risk.
Councilmembers and Police Chief Haydar responded that officers have discretion to impound vehicles when appropriate. “They have every right and every based on their discretion, yes,” the council chair said when asked whether police can impound cars. Chief Haydar and other council members discussed options including higher fines, targeted enforcement and working with prosecutors to use vehicle forfeiture for drag-racing cases.
Chief Haydar also addressed staffing: he said the department recently hired and reinstated officers and had five candidates in background checks. “We should have those 5 police officers hired by June 1,” he said, and that the department expected to reach its target staffing of 45 sworn officers if those hires cleared.
Council members and residents called for a dedicated traffic unit and more frequent neighborhood traffic enforcement. Councilman Hassan Saab said even at full staffing each officer would average responsibility for roughly 1,200 residents and argued the city needs more officers and targeted funding. Several council members emphasized that enforcement also requires prosecutorial and court follow-through to deter repeat offenders.
What happens next: Councilmembers asked staff and the police chief to explore enforcement options, impound procedures, and to coordinate with the county prosecutor on vehicle forfeiture for drag-racing and repeat reckless-driving cases. Wayne County training on vehicle forfeiture was mentioned as forthcoming.
