POLICE SEIZE 96 CARS IN TWO STINGS

City's Officers Try To Cut Down Drug Sales, Late-night Cruisers

OAKLAND -- A lot of people who visited Oakland this past weekend apparently
bought drugs, ran stop signs, sped through intersections or spun
"doughnuts" on the streets.

For many of them, it was a long walk home.

Oakland police officers, working through two city programs, towed and
impounded 96 cars from the late-night cruisers and alleged drug buyers.

Police officials estimated half the cars hauled away during Friday night's
"Beat Feet" and Saturday's Special Traffic Offender Program (STOP) belonged
to people who don't live in Oakland.

Oakland City Councilmember Larry Reid (Elmhurst-East Oakland), who
witnessed the Beat Feet sting Friday night, said it sends a message that
Oakland is not going to tolerate people coming to buy drugs.

The program, which debuted in January 1998 and has withstood legal
challenges, lets police seize cars used in drug and prostitution stings.

Criminals not only stand a chance of going to jail if they buy drugs in
Oakland but also of losing their car, Reid said.

"When they come into neighborhoods and make it unsafe by purchasing crack
or any other illegal drugs, it's a violation of the civil rights of the
people who want to live in the neighborhoods and raise a family," Reid said.

"Why do they have to come to Oakland, particularly my district, looking for
illegal drugs?" he added.

More than 20 cars were taken Friday night. Three weeks ago, 21 cars were
seized.

Reid, who in the past has posed in sting operations as a drug dealer, no
longer does so. Oakland Police Chief Richard Word said he doesn't want Reid
to get dragged into criminal proceedings.

Almost 140 cars have been taken off the streets in two STOP stings -- an
effort to stem reckless driving, dubbed "sideshow" by police and residents
in East Oakland, after bars close early Sunday mornings.

The drivers often don't have a license or are driving on a suspended
license. Police arrested five people on outstanding felony warrants over
the weekend, said Oakland Police Lt. Dave Kozicki.

"These are the same people causing accidents, and they don't have
insurance," Kozicki said. "The people bearing the brunt are the peaceful
people trying to get from point A to point B."

The cruising tends to evolve into criminal activity, and the surrounding
community has asked police for more aggressive enforcement, Kozicki said.

The stops on Saturday -- for anything ranging from a broken taillight to
expired registration to reckless driving -- netted 75 cars with illegal
drivers, Kozicki said.

On a Saturday last month, police nabbed 60 drivers.

"One of the guys we towed had just gotten his car out from the last time,"
Kozicki said. "He's looking at tow fees from around $700 to $1,000 each time."