CLEVELAND — Cleveland police on Thursday announced their "next step" to help quell the rise of illegal street takeovers throughout the city, and it involves a little-known tactic known as "street milling."
According to the Cleveland Division of Police, street milling involves altering roads by using a machine to create grooves in busy intersections and make the driving surface rough and uneven for cars. This will make it harder for vehicles to perform stunts in high-traffic areas, much like the ones that helped shut down more than a dozen streets around Cleveland late last month, including the Innerbelt Bridge. Similar incidents have previously occurred in places like Playhouse Square and Ohio City, among others.
As part of its Street Take Over Task Force, the police department says it has worked with the Cleveland Division of Streets to launch a pilot program for street milling. While a full list of roads to be altered has not been released, officials did share photos from Lee Road and Harvard Avenue, where the middle of the four-way intersection has been grooved into a "checkerboard" style. Lee and Harvard was one of the areas taken over by unruly drivers on Sept. 28.
"Street takeovers are dangerous not only to those participating, but also for the general public in the area," Cleveland Police Chief Annie Todd said in a statement.
Adrian Lindsay is the owner of Angie's Soul Cafe. The restaurant has inside the Lee-Harvard Plaza for at least 15 years, but on this Thursday evening, it was much quieter than what Lindsay is used to.
"It's already dark outside, and my restaurant is empty," he told 3News. "This is the heart of dinner time."
He says business has slowed down because customers are afraid of what's been happening in the plaza parking lot: Just steps away from his front door are tire markings from car burnouts.
Since the takeovers, authorities have made multiple arrests and towed a number of cars believed to be involved. As for the street milling program, police say they "will assess these public areas and make adjustments if necessary."
Lindsay says he loves his community, but is considering leaving the plaza because of the issues. He hopes the street milling initiative makes a positive impact.
"There's different, other places that you can go," he added. "You want to get your (Dodge) Charger out there and do what you do? I understand that. There's a time and place for everything, but this is not it."