Greenwich police want the authority to seize, sell, or destroy vehicles used in illegal street takeovers and unauthorized off-road riding on town roads and parks.

Capt. Patrick Smyth of the Greenwich Police Department presented the proposed rule to the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, according to Patch. It targets two specific behaviors: unauthorized snowmobiles, ATVs, dirt bikes and mini motorcycles on public streets, parks and town property, and street or parking lot takeovers involving drag racing, stunt driving, or large unauthorized gatherings where participants block roads to let drivers perform stunts. If approved, officers could confiscate vehicles involved in either offense, then sell or destroy them.

"Giving people a ticket, a lot of times people don't care," Smyth told the board. "But when you take their vehicle, where they're putting their money into it because they want it to be modified and everything else, that's going to discourage them, plus they won't have it to do it again."

The ordinance responds to Connecticut Public Act 25-80, signed by Gov. Ned Lamont in June 2025 and passed by wide margins in both the House and Senate. The law lets municipalities adopt local ordinances penalizing street takeovers, and for the first time, allows towns to destroy seized vehicles instead of only auctioning them off.

Why Greenwich is acting now, even without a local incident.

Street takeovers have already hit Bridgeport, East Haven, New Haven, Trumbull and other Connecticut towns — but not Greenwich yet. Smyth framed the ordinance as a preventive move, saying it ensures the town "is not left vulnerable to increased illegal activities displaced from other neighboring jurisdictions." New Haven has already put the law to use, crushing 120 impounded ATVs and dirt bikes at a press event last September, according to the Yale Daily News. Danbury has passed its own version of the ordinance as well.

What local officials are saying.

First Selectman Fred Camillo called the ordinance "certainly something that makes all the sense in the world," saying he wants Greenwich to have rules in place so officers can respond immediately if takeovers ever reach town. Selectwoman Lauren Rabin asked how nearby Connecticut and New York communities are handling the same issue; Smyth said several are pursuing similar measures of their own.

What's next.

The Board of Selectmen didn't vote at Tuesday's first reading. A vote is expected at the board's next meeting on Aug. 13. Residents with questions or tips can reach the Greenwich Police Department's non-emergency line at (203) 622-8000.