Carefree Truth
Issue #749, May 20, 2019
Mayor Les Peterson noted that every spring a large number of motorcycles come up from the south for Bike Week. They must drive through Carefree to reach the Cave Creek bars. Carefree Town Hall receives many adverse comments from Carefree residents regarding noise. While one motorcycle might not be above the noise limit, in aggregate they are quite loud. The cyclists tend to travel in groups, sometimes as many as 30 to a group, and the group behavior often entails "daring" stunts, like going through stop signs all together. Speeding and probable DUIs have also been observed. A number of residents said they are hesitant to be on the roads during this time.
Because they must drive through Carefree to get to the Cave Creek bars, Carefree is forced to bear the noise, the group behavior, the speeding, and the DUIs, with none of the benefits derived by Cave Creek. Mayor Peterson said he has discussed this the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) and with other East Valley mayors who have been talking to their police chiefs about effective means to mitigate these issues.
Issue #749, May 20, 2019
Mayor Les Peterson noted that every spring a large number of motorcycles come up from the south for Bike Week. They must drive through Carefree to reach the Cave Creek bars. Carefree Town Hall receives many adverse comments from Carefree residents regarding noise. While one motorcycle might not be above the noise limit, in aggregate they are quite loud. The cyclists tend to travel in groups, sometimes as many as 30 to a group, and the group behavior often entails "daring" stunts, like going through stop signs all together. Speeding and probable DUIs have also been observed. A number of residents said they are hesitant to be on the roads during this time.
Because they must drive through Carefree to get to the Cave Creek bars, Carefree is forced to bear the noise, the group behavior, the speeding, and the DUIs, with none of the benefits derived by Cave Creek. Mayor Peterson said he has discussed this the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) and with other East Valley mayors who have been talking to their police chiefs about effective means to mitigate these issues.
MCSO Lt. Scott
Photo by Herbert Hitchon
Lieutenant Scott, from MCSO, addressed the Council. He said he was involved in the planning and execution for MCSO during this year's Bike Week. There was no reported violence and nobody was hurt in Carefree or Cave Creek. He had a meeting with the Criminal Intelligence Division to get advice about how best utilize manpower. They recommended adding more bodies, so the Lt. authorized overtime pay to ensure the area would be safe. The Sheriff and Chiefs supported that decision. There was a lot of extra traffic enforcement in place, along with DUI enforcement, a SWAT team, and a K-9 unit.
They are already planning ahead for next year's Bike Week. Equipment will be brought in that reads license plates so they can see who is coming and going. With such a large event, and thousands upon thousands of motorcycles, it is impossible to pinpoint individual loud motorcycles in a group. When attempted in the past, it was hard to prove and was dismissed in court. But it is a good testimony that there was no violence. A lot of off duty deputies were hired by the different bars, providing additional support.
Just in Carefree, there were 53 traffic stops over the 9 day period. An additional squad was put on for the Friday and Saturday nights. They didn't concentrate on multiple motorcycles going through stop signs because the traffic would get very backed up if they went through one at a time.
Bike Week is inevitable up here. All MCSO can do is prioritize and attempt to mitigate the issues, with a focus on public safety. There will be plenty of communication between Carefree and MCSO about Bike Week next year. MCSO will expand and build on the information gathered this year. A large presence of officers kept the violence down. They were out there and visible.
Councilman Mike Krahe thanked MCSO for their big presence during Bike Week this year. He noted that there is rubber in front of the Roadhouse and coming out of their driveway, so some had been drag racing. He could even hear it at his house. Lt. Scott said they plan to set up cameras next year, and will be looking for that. Mayor Peterson pointed out that it is in downtown Cave Creek, so is Cave Creek's responsibility.
Dr. Krahe also requested additional deputies to direct traffic at the Carefree Highway and Cave Creek Road intersection, where he said people have almost hit each other due to the many ways to come through that intersection. When 30 motorcycles are going through, they will look at you and not stop. Their attitude was, "We're all coming through and there's not a damned thing you can do about it". If an officer were there, Dr, Krahe felt it would calm down a lot of the problems and make the intersection much safer. He was concerned that someone was going to get hit otherwise.
Councilman Vince D'Aliesio expressed concern for the safety of the deputies if they are not doubled up in teams. He had heard stories of bikers blowing through Pima Road onto Cave Creek Road without even stopping, with only one officer trying to manage it. Mr. D'Aliesio suggested treating intersections like a funeral procession, where the officer allowed them all to go at once while other traffic waited, but setting up cameras with signs that would serve to slow them down. Lt. Scott thought that was a good idea.
Vice Mayor John Crane asked who would pay for it. Lt. Scott said public safety issues would be looked at closer to the time. He pointed out that it was not a problem all week. The busy times were Fridays and Saturdays, more towards the evenings. Vice Mayor Crane said MCSO does a great job, with an army of officers out there. But Bike Week gets bigger each year. Carefree gets no benefit from it, but gets the noise, the traffic and the traffic violations. Carefree citizens are not used to that. He thought it was inappropriate that Carefree has to spend extra money to mitigate the problems posed by Bike Week. If residents in his HOA have a party, they try to be good neighbors. That's what he expects from our neighboring community.
Mayor Peterson noted that there are two groups of bikers. One is comprised of the responsible attorneys, business people, etc. The other is what concerns him, the "gangs of bad actors" that have come up in conversations. How prevalent is this? Is it growing? What can happen?
Lt. Scott replied that, sure, there are dangerous people who come up here for Bike Week. Hell's Angels set up a tent. But they have not caused problems. That's the reason for the heavy MCSO presence. Biker gangs don't want to draw negative attention to themselves where there is a heavy law enforcement presence. They know it's not wise. It's why MCSO goes overboard with manpower during Bike Week in case something does happen, but more to keep it from happening. Cameras and Criminal Intelligence help a lot in developing plans for the future.
Councilman Stephen Hatcher asked what draws biker gangs to visit? Why is this area even on the map? Lt. Scott explained that Cave Creek is known for its restaurants and bars that can hold large crowds. You can get a rodeo crowd; you can get a biker crowd. Mr. Hatcher said that if the draw were known, it could be mitigated. Lt. Scott replied that bikers coming up here is legal. There is nothing Carefree can do to "mitigate it".
Mayor Peterson said the communication with MCSO will continue leading up to next year's Bike Week event. He didn't want to see a repeat of what has happened in past years. Lt. Scott said each year they build on what has been learned. They can utilize assets from so many different areas of MCSO. They have live feed cameras where officers can see the action on their cell phones. Next year, there will be a Commander on site on the weekend nights, late into the night, so if emergencies arise, they can immediately make the call for additional support.
Mr. Hatcher asked if drunk bikers ever leave the bar areas and go into the surrounding neighborhoods. Lt. Scott replied that only the local residents with bikes go into the neighborhoods when returning home. As the Mayor said, 90% of them are business people and professionals who are here to have a good time and leave. The Lt. had checked the numbers for burglaries, and they had not risen during Bike Week. Statistics would show if that were a problem. The Mayor thanked Lt. Scott.
https://vimeo.com/335294830
Lyn Hitchon
Prepared by Carefree Truth
Visit our website at www.carefreetruth2.com If you know anyone who would like to be added to the Carefree Truth email list, please have them contact me. Feel free to share Carefree Truth with others on your list.
Visit www.carefreeazbusinesses.com to see more info about businesses in Carefree. Please support our merchants.
Photo by Herbert Hitchon
Lieutenant Scott, from MCSO, addressed the Council. He said he was involved in the planning and execution for MCSO during this year's Bike Week. There was no reported violence and nobody was hurt in Carefree or Cave Creek. He had a meeting with the Criminal Intelligence Division to get advice about how best utilize manpower. They recommended adding more bodies, so the Lt. authorized overtime pay to ensure the area would be safe. The Sheriff and Chiefs supported that decision. There was a lot of extra traffic enforcement in place, along with DUI enforcement, a SWAT team, and a K-9 unit.
They are already planning ahead for next year's Bike Week. Equipment will be brought in that reads license plates so they can see who is coming and going. With such a large event, and thousands upon thousands of motorcycles, it is impossible to pinpoint individual loud motorcycles in a group. When attempted in the past, it was hard to prove and was dismissed in court. But it is a good testimony that there was no violence. A lot of off duty deputies were hired by the different bars, providing additional support.
Just in Carefree, there were 53 traffic stops over the 9 day period. An additional squad was put on for the Friday and Saturday nights. They didn't concentrate on multiple motorcycles going through stop signs because the traffic would get very backed up if they went through one at a time.
Bike Week is inevitable up here. All MCSO can do is prioritize and attempt to mitigate the issues, with a focus on public safety. There will be plenty of communication between Carefree and MCSO about Bike Week next year. MCSO will expand and build on the information gathered this year. A large presence of officers kept the violence down. They were out there and visible.
Councilman Mike Krahe thanked MCSO for their big presence during Bike Week this year. He noted that there is rubber in front of the Roadhouse and coming out of their driveway, so some had been drag racing. He could even hear it at his house. Lt. Scott said they plan to set up cameras next year, and will be looking for that. Mayor Peterson pointed out that it is in downtown Cave Creek, so is Cave Creek's responsibility.
Dr. Krahe also requested additional deputies to direct traffic at the Carefree Highway and Cave Creek Road intersection, where he said people have almost hit each other due to the many ways to come through that intersection. When 30 motorcycles are going through, they will look at you and not stop. Their attitude was, "We're all coming through and there's not a damned thing you can do about it". If an officer were there, Dr, Krahe felt it would calm down a lot of the problems and make the intersection much safer. He was concerned that someone was going to get hit otherwise.
Councilman Vince D'Aliesio expressed concern for the safety of the deputies if they are not doubled up in teams. He had heard stories of bikers blowing through Pima Road onto Cave Creek Road without even stopping, with only one officer trying to manage it. Mr. D'Aliesio suggested treating intersections like a funeral procession, where the officer allowed them all to go at once while other traffic waited, but setting up cameras with signs that would serve to slow them down. Lt. Scott thought that was a good idea.
Vice Mayor John Crane asked who would pay for it. Lt. Scott said public safety issues would be looked at closer to the time. He pointed out that it was not a problem all week. The busy times were Fridays and Saturdays, more towards the evenings. Vice Mayor Crane said MCSO does a great job, with an army of officers out there. But Bike Week gets bigger each year. Carefree gets no benefit from it, but gets the noise, the traffic and the traffic violations. Carefree citizens are not used to that. He thought it was inappropriate that Carefree has to spend extra money to mitigate the problems posed by Bike Week. If residents in his HOA have a party, they try to be good neighbors. That's what he expects from our neighboring community.
Mayor Peterson noted that there are two groups of bikers. One is comprised of the responsible attorneys, business people, etc. The other is what concerns him, the "gangs of bad actors" that have come up in conversations. How prevalent is this? Is it growing? What can happen?
Lt. Scott replied that, sure, there are dangerous people who come up here for Bike Week. Hell's Angels set up a tent. But they have not caused problems. That's the reason for the heavy MCSO presence. Biker gangs don't want to draw negative attention to themselves where there is a heavy law enforcement presence. They know it's not wise. It's why MCSO goes overboard with manpower during Bike Week in case something does happen, but more to keep it from happening. Cameras and Criminal Intelligence help a lot in developing plans for the future.
Councilman Stephen Hatcher asked what draws biker gangs to visit? Why is this area even on the map? Lt. Scott explained that Cave Creek is known for its restaurants and bars that can hold large crowds. You can get a rodeo crowd; you can get a biker crowd. Mr. Hatcher said that if the draw were known, it could be mitigated. Lt. Scott replied that bikers coming up here is legal. There is nothing Carefree can do to "mitigate it".
Mayor Peterson said the communication with MCSO will continue leading up to next year's Bike Week event. He didn't want to see a repeat of what has happened in past years. Lt. Scott said each year they build on what has been learned. They can utilize assets from so many different areas of MCSO. They have live feed cameras where officers can see the action on their cell phones. Next year, there will be a Commander on site on the weekend nights, late into the night, so if emergencies arise, they can immediately make the call for additional support.
Mr. Hatcher asked if drunk bikers ever leave the bar areas and go into the surrounding neighborhoods. Lt. Scott replied that only the local residents with bikes go into the neighborhoods when returning home. As the Mayor said, 90% of them are business people and professionals who are here to have a good time and leave. The Lt. had checked the numbers for burglaries, and they had not risen during Bike Week. Statistics would show if that were a problem. The Mayor thanked Lt. Scott.
https://vimeo.com/335294830
Lyn Hitchon
Prepared by Carefree Truth
Visit our website at www.carefreetruth2.com If you know anyone who would like to be added to the Carefree Truth email list, please have them contact me. Feel free to share Carefree Truth with others on your list.
Visit www.carefreeazbusinesses.com to see more info about businesses in Carefree. Please support our merchants.