(A) Removal and impoundment.
(1) Members of the Police Department are authorized to remove or have removed a vehicle from a street to the nearest garage or other place of safety, or to a garage designated or maintained by the Police Department or otherwise maintained by the Town, under the following circumstances or conditions:
(a) The vehicle is parked on a part of a snow emergency route on which a parking prohibition is in effect.
(b) The vehicle is stalled on a part of a snow emergency route on which there is a covering of snow, sleet, or ice, or on which there is a parking prohibition in effect, and the person who was operating the vehicle does not appear to be removing it in accordance with the provisions of § 74.07.
(c) The vehicle is parked in violation of any parking ordinance or provision of law and is interfering or about to interfere with snow removal operations.
(2) Whenever an officer removes or has removed a vehicle from a street as authorized in this chapter, and the officer knows or is able to ascertain from the registration records in the vehicle the name and address of the owner thereof, the officer shall immediately give or cause to be given notice in writing to the owner of the fact of the removal, the reasons therefor, and of the place to which the vehicle is stored in a public garage, a copy of the notice shall be given to the proprietor of the garage.
(3) Whenever an officer removes or has removed a vehicle from a street under this chapter and does not know and is not able to ascertain the name of the owner, or for any other reason is unable to give the notice to the owner as provided in subdivision (1)(b) above, and in the event the vehicle is not returned to the owner within a period of three (3) days, then the officer shall immediately send or cause to be sent a written report of the removal by mail to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, whose duty it is to register motor vehicles, and shall file a copy of the notice with the proprietor of any public garage in which the vehicle may be stored. The notice shall include a complete description of the vehicle, the date, time, and place from which it was removed, the reasons for the removal, and the name of the garage or place where the vehicle is stored.
(4) It shall be the duty of the Police Department to keep a record of each vehicle removed in accordance with this chapter. The record shall include a description of the vehicle, its license number, the date and time of its removal, where it was removed from, its location, the name and address of its owner and last operator, if known, its final disposition, and the parking violation involved.
(5) This chapter shall be supplemental to any other provisions of law granting members of the Police Department authority to remove vehicles.
(`92 Code, § 8-247)
(B) Recovery of impounded vehicles.
(1) No person shall recover any vehicle removed in accordance with division (A) of this section, except as provided herein. Before the owner or person in charge of the vehicle shall be allowed to recover it from the place where it has been placed or impounded, he shall present to a member of the Police Department evidence of his identity and right to possession of the vehicle, sign a receipt for its return, and pay the reasonable towing and storage charge.
(2) If the vehicle is not recovered within fifteen (15) days, abandoned vehicle regulations shall apply.
(`92 Code, § 8-248) (Ord. 96-51, passed 11-21-96) Penalty, see § 74.99