DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – Trotwood officials are bringing the fight against dangerous driving to Columbus on Tuesday, March 28.
“Driving on public roadways is a privilege and individuals that engage in at-risk behavior must be held accountable,” said City Manager Quincy Pope Sr.
According to a release by the city of Trotwood, officials will travel to the Ohio Statehouse to give testimony before the Ohio House of Representatives criminal justice committee. This will be to support the passage of House Bill 56, which will establish harsher laws and penalties for those who engage in reckless driving, also referred to as ‘hooning’.
City officials spoke out in January after a similar event took over a street in Dayton. Trotwood Mayor Mary McDonald and State Representatives Phil Plummer and Andrea White discussed the steps they are taking to prevent such events from happening again.
Rep. Plummer has been working with Trotwood city leaders since October 2022 to draft legislation addressing this problem. Plummer and the bill’s co-sponsor, Rep. White, are ready to introduce the bill, which would enact stricter penalties for hooning. That includes the potential to impound the cars that were used.
“You’re going to be given a couple of warnings and then we will seizure vehicles for extended periods of time, really hit you in the pocketbook if you don’t want to obey what these people expect in their communities,” Plummer said in January. “The governor has promised to use his three fusion centers, intelligence centers. So we’ll start scouring social media because this is an organized, chaotic event.”
City officials will present their testimony in Columbus at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 28.
“I will continue to fight and advocate on behalf of our citizens when it comes to public safety,” Mayor McDonald said.