7 Vehicles Towed In 36 Hours Under New City Policy

The Milwaukee Police Department‘s new towing policy went into effect Sunday and by noon on Monday had already resulted in seven vehicles being towed.

The policy allows vehicles that are both unregistered and driven recklessly to be towed. Reckless driving includes speeding at least 25 miles per hour over the posted limit, fleeing from an officer, drag racing and the broader citation for “endangering safety” by reckless driving.

Previously the individual was given a ticket and allowed to continue to drive. Under the new policy, adopted by the Fire & Police Commission in February, MPD can temporarily seize the vehicle.

“Mulitple drivers had suspended driver’s licenses,” said MPD in a press release. “The speeds ranged from 27 mph over to 37 mph over the posted speed limit. As a result of one of the seven tows, a large quantity of illegal drugs and a firearm were recovered from that vehicle. Criminal charges are pending.”

The requirement that a vehicle must be unregistered to be towed is imposed by state law.

MPD chief of staff Nick DeSiato, in January, said the city’s 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.

To redeem the vehicle individuals must pay the $125 towing fee and $20-per-day towing fee. In addition, a valid driver’s license must be presented and proof of insurance must be shown (or a $25 drive-off fee paid). Victims of vehicle theft do not need to pay to redeem their vehicle and those known to be stolen are not taken to the general tow lot.

Data provided by MPD in February showed that since 2018, 655 traffic stops could have resulted in a vehicle being towed under the new policy. Only 11 of those were repeat offenders.

MPD is considering another strategy to pursue repeat violators in civil court that would allow the department to impound vehicles or jail frequent offenders. Since Feb. 24, 2021, 54 people have been pulled over and cited six or more times. Two of those individuals have been pulled over and cited 12 times.

A recent report by Bryan Polcyn identified one individual, Dirul Chaplin, who has been pulled over 35 times in three years, always in the same car. An officer fist bumps Chaplin in one video after handing him a citation. In another, Chaplin asks an officer to hurry up the process. In every instance, he was allowed to drive away.

In February, MPD announced that Police Chief Jeffrey Norman‘s Traffic Safety Unit (TSU) issued 21,260 citations in its first year. More than half of the citations, 11,973, were issued for speeding. Nearly 2,800 of the citations were issued for speeding in excess of 25 miles per hour over the posted speed limit.

During traffic stops, TSU members are now handing out a link to a satisfaction survey and information on how to recover a suspended or revoked driver’s license. More information on the TSU, including future monitoring locations, is available on its website.