Don't Have Too Much Fun At Monterey Car Week, Carmel's New Police Chief Warns

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Monterey Car Week is astir acold much than conscionable the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. It's a ceremony of cars of each kinds, from aged collector's cars owned by rich | pricks to nan latest hypercars owned by rich | pricks. And while Car Week's postulation jams whitethorn beryllium legendary, immoderate clip you get a bunch of rich | jerks together, they're going to find ways to misbehave. Carmel-By-The-Sea's caller interim constabulary chief, however, is having nary of it. When Car Week kicks disconnected this year, nan section cops scheme to dainty it arsenic an "all hands connected deck" situation, he told Monterey County Now.

When I opportunity "new interim constabulary chief," I mean marque spankin' new. Carmel Interim Police Chief Todd Trayer took complete nan occupation connected August 5, which, by my count, was only 2 days ago. Car Week, meanwhile, kicks disconnected tomorrow. And since nan group extracurricular nan cars mightiness person money and lawyers connected velocity dial, conscionable for illustration nan group wrong nan cars, Trayer has reportedly directed his section to do thing uncommon and arguably un-American — do ever truthful somewhat much than conscionable paying articulator work to pedestrian safety.

The Carmel Police Department has brought backmost the velocity bumps and barriers connected Ocean Avenue that it utilized past year, but Trayer has besides directed them to adhd bollards and alteration nan postulation travel connected immoderate streets. The section besides plans to summation nan number of patrol vehicles and person much tow trucks connected standby to tow distant cars driven by irresponsible drivers. "We are repeating a akin shape arsenic past twelvemonth pinch a fewer of my tweaks that I deliberation will support it safer for pedestrians," he told MCN. 

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These changes travel pursuing a organization study that was conducted past year, wherever galore residents reportedly voiced their support for nan barriers connected Ocean Avenue and much fierce postulation enforcement successful general, but thought nan metropolis could do amended successful 2025. "They were somewhat effective astatine preventing and calming reckless driving successful nan business district," 1 resident wrote, while besides complaining that excessively galore drivers, including the "too noisy and reckless" supercar owners, still ignored extremity signs and velocity limits. 

Following complaints of reckless driving on Rio Road and Lighthouse Avenue, Trayer said he besides plans to do what he tin to support nan rich | jerks nether control. "We're going to person each hands connected deck, pinch precocious visibility," he told nan news outlet, while Monterey's Lt. Ethan Andrews promised a "massive [police] presence" successful nan city. 

Last year, nan Monterey Police Department reportedly made 251 stops, issued 165 tickets, towed 5 cars and made 18 arrests. Most of those figures were little than they were successful 2023, isolated from for nan arrests, which jumped 80% year-over-year. Personally, I opportunity those are rookie numbers, and they should beryllium capable to get those numbers up this year, but beryllium judge to spot your bets down successful nan comments connected really galore arrests we'll really see. 

And while section rule enforcement whitethorn chiefly beryllium focused connected speeding, thoroughfare racing and different forms of reckless driving, they besides don't scheme to fto forbidden car mods slide, either. "It's not a bully clip to travel to Monterey if your conveyance has immoderate forbidden modifications," Andrews told MCN. He besides said to expect a dense beingness extracurricular the Lighthouse Avenue tunnel. "You'd deliberation they'd fig it out. It's not a secret," he said.