Members of the Police Department are authorized
to cause to be removed any vehicle from a street or highway or any
public way to the nearest garage or other place of safety, or to an
area designated or maintained by the town, in the following instances:
A. When any vehicle is left unattended upon any bridge
or causeway where such vehicle constitutes an obstruction to traffic.
B. When a vehicle upon a highway is so disabled as to
constitute an obstruction to traffic and the person or persons in
charge of the vehicle are incapacitated to such an extent as to be
unable to provide for its custody or removal.
C. When any vehicle is left unattended upon any street
or highway and is so parked illegally as to constitute a definite
hazard to life or property or obstruction to the normal movement of
traffic.
D. When any vehicle is left unattended upon any street
or highway and is so parked as to interfere with or hinder snow removal
operations by the town.
E. When any vehicle is parked in violation of the provisions
of this chapter, including being parked in excess of the time specified
herein.
F. When a vehicle is found on a street, highway or public
way within the jurisdiction of the town, when such vehicle has three
or more outstanding parking violations, whether or not the vehicle
is at that place and time in violation of any provision of this chapter.
G. When a vehicle is left unattended upon or adjacent
to a street or highway, the owner or person in charge of said vehicle
shall remove or cause to be removed the vehicle within 24 hours. If
the vehicle is not removed as designated, the Police Department may
have the vehicle towed at the owner's expense.
Where a vehicle is caused to be removed by a
police officer, the Police Department shall keep and maintain a record
of the vehicle towed, listing its owner as reflected by the registration
records, the owner's address, the make and year of manufacture, the
color of the vehicle, the registration number, the state of registration,
the date and hour of the tow, the location towed from, the location
towed to, the reason for the towing and the name of the officer authorizing
the tow. A copy of this notice shall be given to the operator of the
vehicle conducting the towing and impounding activities and to the
operator of the facility where the vehicle is to be impounded.
The owner of any vehicle removed from the street
or highway or public way pursuant to this order shall be responsible
for all towing costs.
The owner of any vehicle removed from the street
or highway under this Article may reclaim the vehicle by:
A. Furnishing satisfactory evidence of his identity and
of his or her ownership of the vehicle to the officer in charge at
the Police Department;
B. Paying the reasonable charges for the towing and storage
of the vehicle;
C. Paying all outstanding fines, fees and assessments
for parking violations outstanding against the vehicle at that time;
and
D. Signing a receipt for the return of the vehicle.
The effective date of this chapter is February
20, 1992.