Fresno vehicle impound fees have some crying foul

The Fresno Bee ^ | Feb. 03, 2009 | Brad Branan and Tracy Correa

[Enterprise]

"Vehicle impounds have become a growing concern in Fresno as the Police Department has dramatically increased traffic enforcement and raised its fees. About 20,000 vehicles are impounded each year."

[Enterprise]

"Impound fees and traffic fines help to make the city's 80-officer traffic unit "self-supporting," Dyer said. The fees raise about half the unit's personnel costs of $8 million."

"Neither the Fresno County Sheriff's Office nor the California Highway Patrol charge impound fees. Agency representatives say car owners already pay enough at the tow yard."

When the drivers are unlicensed or uninsured I am not too sympathetic. They need their cars impounded!

[fredhead]

“When the drivers are unlicensed or uninsured I am not too sympathetic. They need their cars impounded!”

I agree. How do you keep repeat offenders off the road? you ticket them, they keep on offending. Suspend the license? Doesn’t stop them from driving.

But if they have nothing to drive, they won’t be on the road. When the license is suspended, the car should be impounded. I understand if the offender has a spouse who also drives the car, but if after the license is suspended the offender is caught driving again, suspend the spouse’s license as well (for allowing the offender to drive) then impound the car.

[12Gauge687]

Sounds fair enough. I would love to see the faces on these clowns as they watch their expensive rims (a Wall St. Journal article stated some lease the rims because they are so expensive - often worth more than the vehicle) go bye-bye.

[CPOSharky]

Why not just send them back to where they came from?

Sell the car. Make a little money.

But, nooo. Keep them around sucking at the public teat because some “rights” group might complain.

(Assuming that a good portion of the unlicensed offenders are illegals.)

[jiggyboy]

Neither the Fresno County Sheriff's Office nor the California Highway Patrol charge impound fees. I doubt the part about Fresno. They'll impound it for free, but they'd be the only jurisdiction in the country that doesn't charge you to give it back. After you've paid a couple of hundred dollars to the towing company for the tow and "storage" of course.

[jiggyboy]

Neither the Fresno County Sheriff's Office nor the California Highway Patrol charge impound fees.

I doubt the part about Fresno. They'll impound it for free, but they'd be the only jurisdiction in the country that doesn't charge you to give it back. After you've paid a couple of hundred dollars to the towing company for the tow and "storage" of course.

[Enterprise]

To the best of my knowledge, Fresno County does not charge for vehicle impound or release fees. While they might impound for 30 days per the law, once the time is up you just go get the vehicle and pay the tow yard fees.

[Amerigomag]

From my perspective, we might be better off to simply confiscate the car and auction it off if, as a result of stopping a driver for a traffic violation, if it is determined that the driver has a suspended license or no valid license.

If the driver could not produce proof of US citizenship, the vehicle lien holder, if any, would loose any claim to the vehicle and would have to bid to regain ownership.

[Enterprise]

For a while, the police were seizing vehicles and auctioning them for petty crimes in sting operations. I think the California State Supreme Court ultimately ruled that the seizures and auctions were unreasonable. If that is true, then it is unlikely they would rule that seizures and auctions of vehicles for not having a license would be unreasonable.