LAPD Reconsiders Rules For Impounding Cars — Especially Illegal Immigrants'

Tow truck by Shutterstock

Taking its cues from the mayor, the Los Angeles Police Department is reconsidering its rules for impounding cars.

A current rule getting scrutiny is one that requires police to impound cars by people who don't have a license or who have had their license suspended. The proposed new rule would allow drivers caught driving without a license to have someone else to drive the car home for them, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Of course, this debate isn't just about driving without a license — it's about how to deal with undocumented immigrants who aren't allowed to obtain driver's licenses at all. Last month the National Lawyers Guild and the Southern California Immigration Coalition released a report accusing the police department of racial profiling and targeting immigrant drivers. Impounding fees can take a toll costing a few hundred dollars plus storage fees.

LAPD Chief Charlie Beck acknowledged that the change in policy was aimed at addressing the law's unfair burden on illegal immigrants in an interview with the Los Angeles Times: "It's a fairness issue. There is a vast difference between someone driving without a license because they cannot legally be issued one and someone driving after having their license revoked."

The police union has been taking a hard line against the change. In a statement, the Los Angeles Police Protective League said, "The easily predictable result of this action is that we will have more people killed on our streets in Los Angeles."

The Times notes that two nationwide studies by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety concluded that 13 to 14 percent of drivers involved in fatal crashes did not have a valid license at the time. Another study from the 1990s conducted by the state DMV noted that unlicensed drivers were five times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than licensed ones. But those studies did not distinguish between people who don't have licenses because they're illegal immigrants and others who don't have licenses because they have one too many DUIs on their record.

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By Emma G. Gallegos in News on December 14, 2011 3:40 PM 0 Comments

Comments [rss]

thegodofthor

does this mean I can carry a concealed weapon without a license? Isn't it unfair that because I have no reason to have a permit that I am unfairly being revoked my second amendment rights to carry a gun.

DRIVING IS NOT A RIGHT! IT"S A PRIVILEGE. Just as if I was carrying a gun, if i don't have the right to operate one in public the police will take it away.

illegals can take the damn bus or ride a damn bike just like me and my friend do. As long as everyone without a license get their car impounded equally, its damn fair.

James Bean

So it isn't safer for all of us to require an illegal immigrant to take a test to prove they can safely operate a motor vehicle?

It isn't safer for all of us if we have a photo and thumb print on file for them?

I disagree.

Lance_R

James states: "So it isn't safer for all of us to require an illegal immigrant to take a test to prove they can safely operate a motor vehicle?James, were you born yesterday?....Did you just fall off a truck and bump your head???

Most ILLEGALS don't give a damn what you or the government "requires" them to do. Otherwise, they would have followed proper immigration laws and would not be ILLEGAL. Besides, there are enough folk like yourself that would rather reward them for not following laws rather then becoming law abiding citizens themselves.

Lance_R

James, you do not reward illegal behavior with privledges like driving licenses. Nor would it be appropriate for our state governments to issue government licenses to a person who is not in this state legally (like NM, UT and WA). People who think like you want to provide incentives to illegal immigrants so we are all safe and happy, which exacerbates the entire illegal immigration problem. In about any other country, these parasites would be arrested and deported after discovery that they did not have a license and were here illegally (including Mexico).

So is it safer for all of us to have a photo and thumb print of the illegal driver? NO...because for every reward and benefit such as free health care, birth right citizenship, drivers licenses, etc., you can count on the number of illegals in our country increasing by huge multipliers.

thegodofthor

Sometimes you need to pay the price for violating the rules. If this means you should not drive a car if your illegally in a country, and if your car gets impounded if you do drive with no license. Well that's tough luck.

As a result of committing a felony you can never own a gun or vote again. Does that suck yep, but its a known penalty for violating the law and its easy to avoid.

If I can get around town on a bus and bike, so can illegals. Driving is not a human right. Period. If you want to dive illegally without your car being impounded then go live someplace else, nobody has to live in Los Angeles and Drive.

Thoma Bureau

Why is it that the United States feels the need to be politically correct in absolute everything...? I understand that towed cars will have storage fees and other costs, but why not just sell the car after a certain amount of time of the owner not picking it up? Why do we feel the need to shelter ILLEGAL immigrants? If any other ethnic group was to get pulled over with no license and no insurance, the car would be impounded and most likely that person would be arrested. I believe that the rules should apply to everybody, aren't we supposed to be equal?

James Bean

"...why not just sell the car after a certain amount of time of the owner not picking it up?"
The tow company does. The law it's self meant a mandatory 30 day impound with tow, storage, etc. fees, which isn't affordable. Which means if the person has a job where they need to have a car it's cheaper to buy another one.

My question is:

"What's wrong with an illegal immigrant having to pass a driving test and having a thumb print and photograph on file for them? Wouldn't that make us safer than denying them a license and then penalizing them for not having one?

MyNameIsTed

And my question is:

"What's wrong with deporting illegal immigrants rather than validating their being here illegally by offering them drivers licenses? Wouldn't THAT make US citizens safer? Wouldn't that be more fair to US citizens, and to those who are immigrating here legally?"

westlafadeaway

Wow I'm a fire breathing liberal but really?! The rule change itself doesn't bother me especially if it's meant to save money but "unfair burden on illegal immigrants" -- I was brought up to know driving was a privilege not a right and I still agree.

Ja

Im confused... So, we don't enforce the legal obligation for having a license to operate a vehicle because the person might be in this country illegally. Double negatives don't always create a positive. Wait till Charlie Beck or any of the Legislature loses a loved one to an unlicensed driver (illegal immigrant or not).

westlafadeaway

It sounds like we still enforce the laws against driving without a license (ticket, possible arrest) this just means if one of the passengers has a license you can avoid the car getting impounded. Still can't believe what Beck said about "fairness" though.

Kali

"LAPD Chief Charlie Beck acknowledged that the change in policy was aimed
at addressing the law's unfair burden on illegal immigrants in an
interview with the Los Angeles Times: "It's a fairness issue. There is a
vast difference between someone driving without a license because they
cannot legally be issued one and someone driving after having their
license revoked.""

Unfair burden....that they placed on themselves by being ILLEGAL immigrants.

James Bean

A California law that denies them a driver's license, and then to get their car taken away from them for not having a driver's license sounds pretty unfair to me.

Sounds like playing with a two headed quarter.

MyNameIsTed

[[A California law that denies them a driver's license, and then to get their car taken away from them for not having a driver's license sounds pretty unfair to me.]]

You're joking, right? That's like saying it's illegal to rob a bank, but then it's somehow illegal to keep the money you got from robbing a bank...and that's just totally unfair!

Illegals are denied drivers licenses because they're here illegally and should not be driving. And you think it's unfair that they have to break another law (driving unlicensed) after they've already broken the law being in this country? The brilliant minds of Los Angeles never cease to amaze me.