[Amended by Ord. No. 81-41]
A.Â
It is a misdemeanor for any person to violate any
of the provisions of this chapter, unless such violation is declared
to be a felony by state law.
B.Â
Every person convicted of a misdemeanor for a violation
of any of the provisions of this chapter for which another penalty
is not provided shall be punished by a fine of not more than seven
hundred fifty dollars.
A.Â
This section is enacted as an enforcement procedure
for protection of public peace, safety and welfare and the safeguarding
of property and shall be used generally for the prevention and removal
of traffic hazards, the prevention and abatement of public nuisances
arising from traffic law violations and the protection of public rights
in the use of City streets and thoroughfares.
B.Â
Any vehicle which shall be found in violation of any
provision of this Code which allows for impoundment of such vehicle
shall be deemed a public nuisance, and the police department and any
other agency of the City assigned to traffic duty are hereby authorized
to remove the same or cause the same to be removed, at the sole cost
of the registered owner. The police department or other agency shall
have the power and is hereby authorized to remove the vehicle by either
private or governmental equipment to some garage within the City.
C.Â
Whenever the police department has impounded a vehicle
described above, a notice of such removal and the storage place of
such vehicle shall be mailed to the last registered owner of such
vehicle, if the name and address of such owner can be ascertained
with reasonable diligence. Such notice shall state that if the owner
fails to reclaim such vehicle within sixty days from the date of the
mailing, title to such vehicle will vest in the City, and such vehicle
will be sold at public auction to be held not sooner than thirty days
after the expiration of the sixty day period contained in the notice.
D.Â
The registered owner of a vehicle found to be in violation
of any provision of this Code which allows for impoundment of such
vehicle shall be presumed to be the owner at the time the violation
did in fact occur and shall be severally responsible for the offenses
and impoundment, except where the use of the vehicle was secured by
the operator without the owner's consent.
E.Â
It shall be the duty of the police department to safely
keep any impounded vehicle until such vehicle shall have been repossessed
by the owner or person legally entitled to possession thereof or otherwise
disposed of as provided in this section. The police department shall
cause to be kept an accurate record of the description of such vehicle,
including the name of the officer from whom such a vehicle was received,
the officer employed to deliver the same to such pound or authorized
garage, the date and time when received, the place where found, seized
or taken possession of, the make and color of such vehicle, style
or body, kind of power, motor number, serial number, number of cylinders,
year built, state license number, if any, equipment and general description
of condition, the name and address of the person redeeming such vehicle,
the date of redemption and the manner and date of disposal of such
vehicle in case the same shall not be redeemed, together with the
cost of outstanding summonses and the towing and storage charges.
This record shall be in the form prescribed by the chief of police.
F.Â
Any vehicle impounded pursuant to this section will
be released to its lawful owner, or person entitled to possession,
upon showing adequate evidence of a right to its possession and paying
of all accrued fines and costs for each outstanding unpaid summons
or depositing of the collateral required for his appearance in the
municipal court to answer for each violation for which there is an
outstanding or otherwise unsettled traffic violation notice or warrant,
and the charges for towing and storage. The release should be signed
by an authorized officer.
G.Â
Whenever any vehicle so impounded shall remain unclaimed
by the owner or other person legally entitled to possession thereof
for a period of sixty days from the day notice to the owner was mailed,
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 City not less than ten nor more than fifteen days
from the expiration of such sixty days. Such 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 by
the officer charged with the keeping of the pound, including the fees
and charges herein specified, in receiving, towing, keeping, preparing
and giving notices, advertising for sale or otherwise disposing of
such vehicle, shall be paid to the City treasurer.
(1)Â
Whenever any such vehicle shall remain unsold for
a period of one hundred eighty days from and including the day when
the same shall have been delivered to any vehicle pound as in this
section provided, any such vehicle may be given to the use of any
department of the City or other governmental agency desiring the same.
(2)Â
No member of the police department, and no other employee
of the City, directly or indirectly, shall purchase or participate
in the bidding for, or purchase of, any vehicle offered for sale as
aforesaid.
(3)Â
If the vehicle shall be deemed by the chief of police
of no value or of insufficient value to warrant storage and sale,
and if no owner shall appear to redeem such valueless vehicle within
sixty days after the mailing of notice of its removal, which notice
shall contain a statement that the vehicle is deemed to be of no value
or of insufficient value to warrant storage and sale, and that it
is the intention to dispose of or destroy such vehicle, to any owner
whose name and address can be ascertained with reasonable diligence,
or by publishing such notice in the official newspaper once, at least
five days before its destruction or other disposition. Such vehicle
as above provided shall be conclusively deemed of no value and to
be abandoned property, and there shall be no claim against the City,
the chief of police or any of their agents or employees by reason
of any such destruction or disposition.