Milwaukee can now Impound Cars of Reckless Drivers

A new law two years in the making was approved Tuesday, allowing the City of Milwaukee to tow and impound any vehicle driven recklessly. As Jeramey Jannene reports for Urban Milwaukee, the advancement represents the pinnacle of an escalating series of laws targeting dangerous driving over the past several years — beginning with a 2022 law allowing the city to impound vehicles driven recklessly if they were also unregistered and a 2023 amendment extending impoundment to cases where the the vehicle has an unpaid reckless driving citation.

Tuesday’s move was lauded by Milwaukee Police and driven by Alderman Lamont Westmoreland. 

“Part of my job is to look for ineffective laws that don’t work, and that was one of them,” Westmoreland told Urban Milwaukee. “Somebody driving 100 mph down Capitol Drive — that wasn’t their first time doing that.”

Vehicles towed under the reckless driving change must be held by the city for a minimum of 90 days, compared to current regulations that allow the city to scrap towed vehicles within 15 days or sell them within 30. The city currently charges a $150 towing fee and a $25 per day for storage, plus additional charges for citations and fines if the vehicle is uninsured. 

“The problem we are facing is severe. It’s catastrophic. It’s literally costing us lives every day,” Alderman Scott Spiker told Urban Milwaukee. “If you’re a one-time offender, that’s one time too many.”