Suffield, Conn. officers crack down on illegal ATV and dirt bike riding

SUFFIELD, Conn. — Suffield , a quaint town of 15,000, has a varying topography that keeps its police officers on their toes. A busy downtown, sweeping tobacco fields, thick forests, and rocky hills are all different parts of their jurisdiction that they need to know in and out.

But the past year has been different. Last September, a 14-year-old boy was killed while riding his dirt bike on a public road after being hit by a car.

Whether a police officer or a resident, children's safety on dirt bikes and ATVs has been top of mind since then.

“We have had an uptick of complaints and things like that," Suffield Police Officer Shannon Murphy said. "Because that was really tragic, he was only 14. And that’s our primary concern, the last thing we want is for more of those things to happen.”