Whenever officers of the Police Department of the Village are authorized to remove a vehicle from any public way, the following procedures shall apply:
(A) Supervision of Removal; Place of Impounding: It shall be the duty of the Chief of Police to cause every vehicle removed from any public way to be so removed and conveyed by or under the direction of a member of the Police Department to an authorized garage.
(B) Redemption of Impounded Vehicle: Before the owner or person entitled to possession of any legally impounded vehicle shall be permitted to remove the same from the custody of the Chief of Police, he shall furnish evidence of his identity and ownership of the vehicle and right of possession thereto, shall sign a receipt for the vehicle, and shall pay a fee to cover the cost of towing or removal to an authorized garage, and in addition thereto, the cost of storage at a rate for each day or fraction of a day said vehicle is stored therein.
(C) Records of Vehicle Impounding: It shall be the duty of the Chief of Police to safely keep any vehicle so impounded until such vehicle shall have been repossessed by the owner or person legally entitled to possession thereof or otherwise disposed of as hereinafter provided. The Chief of Police shall cause to be kept an accurate record of the description of such vehicle, including the name of the officer from whom such vehicle was received, the person or entity employed to tow or deliver the same to said authorized garage, the date and time when received, the place where found, seized or taken possession of, the make and color of car, style or body, kind of power, motor number, serial number, number of cylinders, year built, State license number, if any, wheel tax license number, if any, equipment, vehicle contents, and general description of condition, the name and address of the person redeeming said vehicle, the date of redemption, and the manner and date of disposal of said vehicle in case the same shall not be redeemed, together with the towing and storage charges. Said record shall be in form prescribed by the Chief of Police. It shall also be the duty of the Chief of Police to keep reports of all such vehicles delivered to him which reports shall be kept in the office of said Chief available for the inspection of any interested party at all reasonable hours of the day.
(D) Notice of Impoundment:
1. Notice to Owner: Whenever the Police Department has impounded any vehicle as aforesaid, it shall ascertain from the registration records of the State or the Village the name and address of the owner thereof and shall immediately give or cause to be given notice in writing to such owner of the fact of such removal and impounding and the reason therefor and of the place to which such vehicle has been removed.
2. Notice to Secretary of State: Whenever the Police Department has impounded any vehicle as aforesaid and does not know and is not able to ascertain the name of the owner, or for any reason is unable to give the notice to the owner as hereinbefore provided, and in the event the vehicle is not returned to the owner within a period of ten (10) days, then and in that event said Police Department shall immediately send or cause to be sent a written report of such removal and impounding by mail to the Illinois Secretary of State. Such notice shall include a complete description of the vehicle, the date, time, and place from which removed, the reasons for such removal, and the address of the vehicle pound or authorized garage where the vehicle is stored.
(E) Disposition of Unclaimed Impounded Vehicle: Whenever any impounded vehicle shall remain unclaimed by the owner or other person legally entitled to possession thereof for a period of thirty (30) days from the day such vehicle was impounded, and after notice shall have been given, it shall be the duty of the Police Department to sell such vehicle at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, the time and place of such sale to be published at least once in a newspaper of general circulation in the Village, not less than ten (10) nor more than fifteen (15) days from expiration of said thirty (30) days, and he shall also cause a notice of such sale to be mailed to the Illinois Secretary of State not less than ten (10) nor more than fifteen (15) days from the expiration of said thirty (30) days. Said notice shall contain a full description of the vehicle to be sold and the time and place of sale; provided that any such vehicle not sold at the first sale may be offered for sale and sold at any subsequent sale without further notice or publication. The proceeds of such sale after paying all liens and deducting all reasonable charges and expenses incurred in receiving, towing, keeping, preparing and giving notices, advertising for sale or selling or otherwise disposing of such vehicle shall be received and deposited in the Village's general fund. (Ord. 85-1, 1-28-85)