§ 31-25. Officers authorized to remove illegally wrecked, abandoned or disabled vehicles.

(a)

Officers of the city police department or investigating law enforcement agencies are hereby authorized to remove a vehicle to the nearest garage or other place of safety, or to a garage designated or maintained by the governmental agency, of which the officer is a member, under the circumstances hereinafter enumerated:

(1)

When any vehicle is illegally parked so as to block the entrance to any private driveway and it is impractical to move such vehicle from in front of the driveway to another point on the highway or street.

(2)

When any vehicle is found upon a highway or street and a report has previously been made that such vehicle has been stolen or a complaint has been filed and a warrant thereon issued charging that such vehicle has been embezzled.

(3)

When any such officer has reasonable grounds to believe that any vehicle has been abandoned.

(4)

When a vehicle upon a highway or street is so disabled that its normal operation is impossible or impractical and the person or persons in charge of the vehicle are incapacitated by reason of physical injury or other reason to such an extent as to be unable to provide for its removal or custody, or are not in the immediate vicinity of the disabled vehicle.

(5)

When an officer arrests any person driving or in control of the vehicle for an alleged offense and such officer is by this Code or other law required to take the person arrested immediately before a magistrate.

(b)

Any officer is hereby authorized to remove any vehicle parked or standing in or on any portion of a roadway when in the opinion of the said officer the vehicle constitutes a hazard; or interferes with a normal function of a governmental agency; or by reason of any catastrophe, emergency or unusual circumstances the safety of said vehicle or others is imperiled.

(c)

Any member of the city fire marshal's office is hereby authorized to have a vehicle removed that is parked in such a manner as to violate the city's fire ordinance, or interferes with the response to any incident.

(Ord. No. 374-1, § 1, 6-24-91)