By Joanna Putman
Police1
TULSA, Okla. — The Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office’s “Race A Cop” event aims to keep teen drivers safe by allowing them to legally race against police officers on a drag racing track, KTUL reported.
The second annual event, held on April 20 in partnership with Beat the Heat,was free for teenagers and designed to discourage illegal street racing by providing a safe, controlled environment, according to the report.
“I wanted to go race a cop. I love cars, I love racing, and I figure this is free, and this is my one shot to bring this car out to the drag strip today,” high school student Xavier Krise told KTUL.
Sgt. Brandon Hendrix of the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office highlighted how the raceway is accessible beyond the event, with a typical entry fee being quite reasonable compared to the fines for street racing.
“When I was growing up, I didn’t know how easy it was to come out to the Raceway Park,” said Hendrix. “On a day that’s not Beat the Heat Day, you come out here and you pay $15 to get in the gate, $15 for a tech card, and you can go down the racetrack.”
According to the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office, in 2021 there were 1,463 fatal and injury crashes involving teen drivers in Oklahoma, with 263 being speed-related and 227 due to distracted driving.