Title
Ordinance No. 24-07 to repeal and reordain Article 25 (Removal and Impoundment of Vehicles) of Chapter 10 (Motor Vehicles and Traffic) of the Code of the City of Colorado Springs 2001, as amended, Pertaining to Impoundment Of Vehicles
Presenter:
Commander John Koch, Colorado Springs Police Department
Jennifer Underwood, CSPD Evidence/Impound Manager
Frederick Stein, Public Safety City Attorney
Body
Summary:
The proposed ordinance will allow the City the option to contract with local towing vendors for the impoundment and sale of unclaimed vehicles, as well as update outdated language throughout the sections.
Background:
The Colorado Springs Police Department's (CSPD) Impound Lot impounds three categories of vehicles: 1) vehicles impounded and held for evidentiary reasons, 2) recovered stolen motor vehicles, and 3) abandoned vehicles.
City Code sections 10.25.101 - 10.25.106 outline the CSPD's authority to impound, store, and subsequently sell unclaimed vehicles. The purpose of Article 25 is to ensure vehicles are impounded for lawful reasons, that there is a process by which citizens can dispute the towing and storage fees, that proper legal notice is provided to vehicle owners and lienholders, and that unclaimed vehicles subject to re-title are offered for sale to the public.
Addition of Private Tow Company Services
The notification and due diligence requirements related to abandoned vehicles are administratively burdensome and frequently cause these vehicles to take precedence over the evidentiary vehicles. And, because the number of both abandoned and evidentiary vehicles continues to increase, CSPD is proposing to allow private tow companies to assist with abandoned vehicles.
Generally, City Code sections 10.25.101 - 10.25.106 specifically assign CSPD the responsibilities of:
? Providing storage and maintenance of impounded vehicles (10.25.101)
? Charging tow and storage fees based on expenses incurred by the City (10.25.103)
? Pro...
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