I’m angrier than a cat without tuna fish over this next story. I’m angry that local law enforcement has taken so long to take care of a long-standing problem here in Albany: ATV riders who terrorize people on public streets with their unsafe stunts.
To be fair, in recent weeks, local law enforcement has managed to get at least fifteen of them off our roads and the operators in court. It’s not just a quality of life issue. It’s also an issue of safety. No one cares about the ATV operators’ safety, but we fear for own safety whenever they show off, often to the detriment of innocent drivers and pedestrians. In fact, one victim almost died.
Our bumbling, stumbling, fumbling sheriff has announced that even more of the terror machines have been pulled off our streets. Said sheriff, Craig Apple, reported that two more are safely locked away.
In the entire state of New York, it is illegal to operate a dirt bike or an ATV on public roads. These ATV operators, most of them minors who think they’re above the law, apparently didn’t count on the law finally catching up to them. It took a long time, but local law enforcement has put down the donuts and done their jobs.
But don’t give the Albany County Sheriff’s Office too much credit: their deputies reportedly continue to assault citizens, with special attention given to people having seizures. Apple is well aware of the assaults, but continues to have his thumbs up his ass.
It’ll be interesting to see how many more of the ATV’s law enforcement can get off the roads, but even just one more off the roads mean that those of us who care about safety and decency will win.