Milwaukee Impounds 354 Vehicles In Past Year for Reckless Driving

Signs are posted near roads on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wis. Angela Major/WPR

More than 350 vehicles involved in reckless driving offenses have been impounded in Milwaukee in the first year of a measure to crack down on the problem.

Last year, a state law allowed local communities to pass ordinances to let police impound vehicles used in a reckless driving offense. It allows for the vehicle to be impounded when the driver is cited or arrested.

Prior law allowed impoundment only if the driver was the owner of the vehicle and had a prior reckless driving offense along with unpaid fines or fees for that past offense.

The Milwaukee Common Council passed a substitute ordinance last November to allow the Milwaukee Police Department to use the new tool. In the past year, 354 vehicles have been impounded, according to data provided Friday by Milwaukee Ald. Lamont Westmoreland, who wrote the city legislation.

“It’s all about accountability and consequences,” Westmoreland said.

“The tool is being enforced, and hopefully, word is getting around that your vehicle will be taken,” he said.

The data is from the 12-month period between when the ordinance went into effect last November through Nov 5.

Vehicles drive through an intersection Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wis. Angela Major/WPR

To get the vehicle back, the owner needs to pay any outstanding citations as well as any fees and fines related to the storage and towing. The city can also dispose of unclaimed vehicles after a 90 day period, according to the ordinance.

Over $66,000 in impoundment fees have been collected by the city in the past year, according to the data. There are 27 vehicles at the tow lot that have still not been claimed, while one vehicle has been auctioned off and two vehicles have been recycled.

Westmoreland said police will try to determine if the vehicle has been stolen before it goes to the tow lot.

“And sometimes those vehicles do end up in the impound lot until they find that owner,” he said. “But once the rightful owner comes to claim a stolen vehicle, there are no fees attached to retrieving that vehicle.”

Mayor Cavalier Johnson said the goal isn’t for the city to make money.

“We’re trying to get compliance, because that compliance means greater public safety for everybody in our community, so that’s what I want to see,” Johnson said.

Regarding the number of impounded vehicles, Johnson said he doesn’t have a set number in mind that he’d like to see.

“I want the number to be what the number needs to be in order to make sure the streets are safer,” Johnson said. “If there are more people who are driving recklessly, then I want that number to go up. Hopefully, people get the message and they don’t do it, and then that number can go down.”

A Taco Bell at the corner of Milwaukee’s West Fond du Lac Avenue and West Congress Street is surrounded by a fence that was damaged during a fatal crash. Photo taken on Sept. 14, 2022. Angela Major/WPR

The issue of reckless driving has plagued residents of Milwaukee for years. Officials have invested in “traffic calming” projects, like speed bumps, curb extensions and protected bike lanes throughout the city. Leaders have also focused on enforcement and education efforts.

Statistics from the Milwaukee Police Department’s Traffic Safety Unit showed 67 people died in traffic crashes in 2024, while 62 people died in 2025. As of Nov. 8, 45 people have died in traffic crashes in the city this year.

Community activist Vaun Mayes called the new enforcement tool a “good start.”

“It shows that they are doing something and that they’re moving towards some type of enforcement,” Mayes said.

Other municipalities across Wisconsin have also passed similar ordinances after the passage of the state law, including the city of Waukesha, city of Appleton, city of Green Bay, the village of Shorewood and the city of West Allis.

In June, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who is now the governor-elect, signed a measure to allow the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office to impound vehicles used in reckless driving offenses.

“This ordinance is a major victory for public safety in Milwaukee County, and it provides our deputy sheriffs with a critical new tool to help protect drivers and vehicle passengers on our freeways and streets,” Milwaukee County Sheriff Denita Ball said in a statement.

Over 350 vehicles impounded for reckless driving by city of Milwaukee in first year of new ordinance was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.