Recently, there has been visible damage to Wallace Park, a city-owned park near downtown Wilmington, caused by dirt bikes and/or cars riding through it. Neighbors were asking what they should do when this happens.
Wilmington Police Department Lieutenant Greg Willet has been in policing for over 25 years. He said it should probably be common sense not to tear up the park, but just in case, he added that there's a city ordinance (7-27) prohibiting it that can come with a misdemeanor charge.
“That park was not intended for that kind of activity. That was intended as a green space, a place for people to go and relax,” he said.
When it comes to calling 911, dialing the non-emergency line at 910-452-6120, or trying to handle things themselves, Willett said it's a judgment call.
“It's kind of up to the individual citizen and their comfort level,” he said.
But more specifically, when a person is deciding whether to call 911, they should ask themselves:
“Is it in progress? So, if someone is riding a dirt bike through a park, is their life in danger? Not necessarily, but it is something that is in progress,” he said.
Willet said yes, call 911 when something is happening in real time – but not when a resident just wants to know what’s going on.
He also said 911 has to triage situations all throughout the city – and that officers are not sitting at the station waiting to get dispatched – they’re out on patrol.
“So suffice it to say a car crash with injuries is going to be higher up than say someone riding a motorbike in the park, and I think most folks understand that,” he added.
Often residents don’t want to see harsh punishments raining down on offenders – they just want the nuisances to stop. Willett said that’s why veteran officers are important.
“This is why it's very important for cities, towns, and locales to have experienced police officers. And when you have experienced police officers, they've got a lot of time on the street, and they're good at exercising discretion,” he said.
That means maybe it’s a warning if those causing trouble stop what they’re doing and talk to law enforcement.
“I've got their identification. I know who they are. I've talked to them. They were very receptive. We had a good conversation – and nine times out of 10, that's all it takes. So it's more about education. [...] And, ‘Hey, people are watching. People are looking at this, and people don't like this. Might be a good idea to knock it off.’ A lot of times that works,” he said.
Times when there isn't officer discretion is when violence is involved.
“When you're dealing with someone being victimized, it's totally different. [...] It's a clear-cut type of thing. ‘No, we have to address that,’ he said.
And in terms of bikers who won’t stop their bad behavior,, are acting aggressively, or are repeat offenders, Willet said when they find them – and it’s about half of the time – there would be consequences. He also said it can be hard on cops when there’s public pressure to act – adding that officers don’t get into pursuits unless there’s an extreme danger to the public.
“There's nothing like sitting at a stoplight, being in a police car, and one of these dirt bikes goes zipping past, and people look at you, ‘Like, will you do something?’ ‘Yes, I'm going to do something about it. No, it doesn't really look like it at the moment,’ but I'm not going to flip my blue lights on and go chasing a teenager on a dirt bike, because I don't want to be a part of anything tragic that could occur,” he said.
He said that high-speed car chases are extremely dangerous and police tend to avoid them unless it’s a last resort.
And while Wilmington doesn’t have spaces for ATVs and dirt bikes to roam, Willet said, “Maybe there's an opportunity there for some enterprising person that maybe owns a piece of property somewhere to open up a dirt bike place.”
While not in Wilmington proper, there are nearby opportunities at Salty Acres, County Line, and Halfmoon MX.
With spring fast approaching, Willet said he’s betting on them responding to quads, four wheelers, and dirt bikes in the north end of Wilmington; however, he said that some of the motorbikes that people see are street legal if the driver is registered, has insurance, is licensed, and has a motorcycle endorsement.
Ultimately, a big part of handling nuisance situations and community safety, Willet said, is knowing one’s neighbors.
“The more people you talk to, the more input you get, the more ideas you have, the easier it actually is for us, in the long run, to address the problem in that you have more folks observing what's going on, whether it's fireworks, whether it's a nuisance house, whether it's really anything.”
He advises the public to trust their gut when to call 911 – and when it’s time for a neighborly discussion over nuisance issues.
And if a person calls, they need to tell the dispatcher whether they want the officer to contact them afterward, and they will follow up.
