Milwaukee Poised To Tow Unregistered Vehicles Driven Recklessly

The Fire & Police Commission is set to grant the Milwaukee Police Department the authority to tow vehicles that are both unregistered and driven recklessly.

The revised standard operating procedure, a policy document that guides officer actions, would allow towing during traffic stops if the vehicle is determined to be unregistered and if a citation is issued for speeding for at least 25 miles per hour over the posted limit, endangering safety for reckless driving, fleeing from an officer or drag racing.

The full commission is scheduled to review the policy at its Thursday evening meeting, but a majority of the commission’s six members have already voted to endorse it. The Policies and Standards Committee first considered the policy on Jan. 27, but deadlocked on whether to move forward and effectively delayed the issue until late March. But a special committee meeting was called for Wednesday and a slightly different slate of members endorsed the policy on a 4-0 vote.

Committee chair Joan Kessler had originally joined with Amanda Avalos against moving the policy forward. “I think it would be a mistake to adopt the changes without doing community outreach to let people know ‘this is what’s coming,’” said Kessler in January.

But MPD now has a delayed implementation plan and an initial outreach plan.

“What we have proposed is that future date be May 1,” said MPD chief of staff Nick DeSiato on Wednesday of when enforcement would begin. He listed a series of outreach strategies under consideration, including city social media channels, community partners and media outlets. Commissioner LaNelle Ramey suggested a notice be posted at state Division of Motor Vehicles offices for the benefit of individuals renewing their license or registration. “I think that’s a great idea,” said DeSiato.

Kessler voted for the plan and Avalos was excused from the meeting. Commissioner Dana World-Patterson, excused from the January meeting, was present Wednesday and voted for the policy.

FPC chair Edward Fallone thanked DeSiato for providing additional information on how and when the department would roll out the policy.

Avalos, based on a letter submitted to the city’s record system, is expected to vote against the proposal on Thursday. “The issue of reckless driving is personal to everyone, including myself, who lives in or travels through Milwaukee. But I will not let this moment continue without pointing out that this sense of urgency and energy for finding solutions cannot start and end with punitive measures. To put it simply, it will not fix our problem. I do not think that this would be the solution that it is framed to be,” she wrote. Avalos said the policy would have disparate impact based on racial and economic factors.

DeSiato, in January, said the policy is structured to avoid being “a poor tax.” He said the enforcement requires the vehicle to be unregistered and the driver to be engaged in dangerous behavior. In addition, DeSiato said the department has existing practices to avoid further penalizing victims of vehicle theft.

The only commission member yet to vote on the policy is Fred Crouther.

Acting Mayor Cavalier Johnson, who declared reckless driving a public safety crisis on his first day in office and released a plan to combat it, is backing the proposal. “I share our community’s frustration with reckless driving. It is a problem that makes our roadways feel unsafe, and, far more significantly, it has killed and injured people in Milwaukee,” said Johnson in a January statement. He reiterated his support in advance of the February meeting. Johnson also backs engineering and education solutions.

The Sherman Park Community Association is backing the policy and has even suggested lowering the speed threshold for towing. “I’m going to give them the credit. They’re the ones that first suggested this,” said DeSiato.

Most of the current reasons for towing involve illegal parking or fleeing. The latter is a felony.

No public comment was taken Wednesday, but the full commission will allow public testimony on Thursday. “This is a big issue. This is why we have an oversight organization,” said DeSiato.

MPD is considering another strategy to pursue repeat violators in civil court that would allow the department to impound vehicles or jail frequent offenders.