§ 12-737. Police pulls authorized.

(a)

A police officer is hereby authorized to move a vehicle, require the driver or other person in charge of a vehicle to move the same or have the vehicle removed by the police wrecker service to the city vehicle pound or an approved storage facility under the following circumstances:

(1)

When any vehicle is left unattended upon any bridge, viaduct or causeway, or in any tunnel where such vehicle constitutes an obstruction to traffic;

(2)

When any vehicle is otherwise legally parked so as to block the entrance to any private driveway and it is impracticable to move the vehicle from in front of the driveway to another point on the street;

(3)

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

(4)

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

(5)

When a vehicle upon a street is so wrecked or 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 extent as to be unable to provide for its removal or custody, or are not in the immediate vicinity of the wrecked or disabled vehicle;

(6)

When an officer arrests any person driving or in command of a vehicle for an alleged offense and such officer is by federal or state law or local ordinance required to take the person arrested immediately before a magistrate;

(7)

Whenever any police officer of the city finds a vehicle standing upon a street, or public or private property in violation of federal or state law or local ordinance.

(b)

Any police officer of the city is hereby authorized to move or have removed by the police wrecker service any vehicle parked or standing in or on any portion of a street, when, in the opinion of the member of the city police department, the vehicle constitutes a hazard, or interferes with a normal function of a government agency, or by reason of any catastrophe, emergency or unusual circumstance the safety of the vehicle, other property or individual is imperiled.

(c)

When a police pull is made in accordance with subsections (a) and (b) of this section, the police officer shall notify police headquarters of the circumstances and request the police department wrecker service be called and directed to the scene to remove the vehicle. On such occasion, the police officer shall complete the wrecker pull form, except for the signature of the owner of the vehicle, and shall show on the space provided for the signature of the owner that the vehicle has been pulled at the officer's request and shall sign his own name. The officer shall also note at the top of the card the reason for removal of the vehicle. In such instances, the third copy of the wrecker pull form should be handed to or mailed to the owner of the vehicle.

(d)

The police officer shall prepare a list of the contents of the towed vehicle with a copy being retained by the police department and two copies shall be given to the wrecker driver, one which is to be given to the owner or operator of the vehicle when the disposition of the vehicle is made, and the other copy to be maintained by the wrecker service.

(Code 1982, § 15-151; Ord. No. 87-56, § 1, 9-21-1987)