Drivers in Milwaukee could soon see their cars impounded under two new city ordinances.
Effective Nov. 22, the Milwaukee Police Department can seize a car on the spot for reckless driving.
Starting Jan. 1, the city will also tow cars with too many unpaid tickets.
A main goal, city officials say, is to be able to impose harsher consequences for not obeying the law.
Reckless drivers
A new ordinance, signed into law by Mayor Cavalier Johnson on Nov. 4, expands the authority of police officers to impound vehicles involved in reckless driving.
Previously, police were required to tow unregistered vehicles when drivers were cited for reckless driving or related serious violations, such as fleeing and racing. They could only tow a registered car if a repeat reckless-driving offender owned the vehicle and had unpaid fines, according to MPD policy.
Under the new ordinance, officers can tow any vehicle used in any reckless driving offenses, regardless of registration status or ownership.
The new ordinance also clarifies that officers may impound the vehicle at the time of the citation or arrest.
The changes give “police more tools to fight the reckless driving epidemic,” said Jeanne Lupo, president of Enough is Enough – A Legacy for Erin, a statewide organization founded in honor of Erin Mogensen, a pregnant woman killed in 2023 when a reckless driver fleeing police crashed into her car.
“If the vehicle is impounded, the person driving it is less likely to hurt someone else. The immediacy of a consequence for the actions may prove a powerful ‘interruption’ to the behavior,” Lupo said.
Owners of impounded cars must pay any unpaid traffic tickets as well as towing and storage fees before getting their car back.
If a vehicle sits in the tow lot for more than 90 days, it can be sold or recycled, according to existing state law.
“The goal is to retrain the thought process of these reckless individuals to understand that there will be serious consequences for behavior on the road that increase the potential of injury or death,” Ald. Lamont Westmoreland, who sponsored the ordinance, said in an email.
“I believe this new ordinance will curb this behavior over time – but I have already started exploring additional measures to further hold these individuals accountable.”
Habitual parking violators
On Nov. 1, the Milwaukee Department of Public Works began mailing warning letters to drivers who owe on five or more city parking citations that are at least 60 days old, according to a department spokesperson.
The department refers to these drivers as “habitual parking violators.”
Habitual parking violators who don’t resolve their citations risk having their cars towed – even if they’re parked legally – said Ald. Scott Spiker, who explained the new ordinance during a press conference on Oct. 29.
“We don’t want to tow your car,” Spiker said. “We just want you to pay the ticket.”
According to the Department of Public Works, 39,102 license plates account for 326,397 unpaid citations totaling more than $17 million in outstanding parking debt.
Milwaukee residents aren’t the only violators at risk of losing their car, Spiker said.
“If you are a habitual parking violator, you could live in Milwaukee, you could live in Ecuador … next time you come into the city and we run your plate, you’re not going to have a car,” Spiker said.
For those concerned about the cost of paying parking citations, Spiker encouraged them to take advantage of a payment plan before the city begins impounding cars with too many unpaid tickets on Jan. 1.
If a habitual parking violator’s vehicle is towed after that date, a payment plan will no longer be an option.
In addition to paying the total amount owed on the tickets, people will also have to pay a $150 towing fee and $25 per day for storage to get their car back, according to a DPW spokesperson.
Payment plans require $25 down and a $10 administrative fee, with monthly payments spread over up to 12 months, the spokesperson said.
Resources
If you receive a letter warning you that your car may be towed you can:
- Pay in full by using the QR code included in the mailed notice or visiting milwaukee.gov/Parking
- Set up a payment plan by calling 414-344-0840
- Request a hearing by going in person to the City of Milwaukee Municipal Court at 951 N. James Lovell St.
Additional walk-in Violation Bureau offices are located at 6223 N. Teutonia Ave., 2980 S. Chase Ave. and 951 N. James Lovell Drive.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
