File #: Int 1142-2023    Version: * Name: Police department tow pound capacity.
Type: Introduction Status: Filed (End of Session)
Committee: Committee on Public Safety
On agenda: 8/3/2023
Enactment date: Law number:
Title: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to police department tow pound capacity
Sponsors: Oswald Feliz, Kamillah Hanks, Amanda Farías, Mercedes Narcisse, Farah N. Louis, Shaun Abreu, Lincoln Restler, Sandra Ung
Council Member Sponsors: 8
Summary: This law would require the Police Department to operate tow pound facilities with sufficient capacity to meet a rate of vehicle towing necessary to deter illegal conduct. The Police Department would also be responsible for issuing public reports on tow facility capacity and the Department’s utilization of vehicle towing in response to violations of traffic laws, rules, and regulations.
Indexes: Report Required
Attachments: 1. Summary of Int. No. 1142, 2. Int. No. 1142, 3. August 3, 2023 - Stated Meeting Agenda, 4. Hearing Transcript - Stated Meeting 8-3-23, 5. Minutes of the Stated Meeting - August 3, 2023

Int. No. 1142

 

By Council Members Feliz, Hanks, Farías, Narcisse, Louis, Abreu, Restler and Ung

 

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to police department tow pound capacity

 

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

 

Section 1. Chapter 1 of title 14 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 14-194 to read as follows:

§ 14-194 Tow facility capacity. a. Definitions. For the purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:

Towing capacity.  The term “towing capacity” means the total number of vehicles that can be stored by the department at any given time.

Tow pound facility. The term “tow pound facility” means real property where the department can store vehicles that have been impounded for violations of traffic laws, rules or regulations.

Vehicle.  The term “vehicle” means a vehicle as defined in section 159 of the vehicle and traffic law. 

b. The department shall operate tow pound facilities with towing capacity sufficient to meet the department’s enforcement needs. Such towing capacity shall reflect the rate of violations that are subject to towing, and the rate of vehicle impoundment necessary to deter illegal conduct.

c. Reporting. No later than January 30, 2025, and no later than 30 after the end of each calendar year, the department shall issue a public report on tow facility capacity and the department’s utilization of vehicle towing in response to violations of traffic laws, rules, and regulations. Such report shall include, but need not be limited to: (i) the towing capacity of each tow pound facility operated by the department and the average number of vehicles stored at each such location during the prior calendar year; (ii) the number of violations issued by the department for which a vehicle could be subject to towing by the department during the prior calendar year, disaggregated by police precinct; and (iii) the number of vehicles towed by the department during the prior calendar year, disaggregated by police precinct.  

§ 2. This local law takes effect 180 days after it becomes law.

 

 

JDK

LS #13899

7/24/23