Milwaukee Police Tow 100 Cars In New Reckless Driving Policy

MILWAUKEE, WI — Milwaukee police have towed 100 cars and arrested six people since a new policy aimed at reducing reckless driving went into effect in May, the agency announced Friday.

Under the policy, police can tow a vehicle when it isn't registered and if a driver receives a ticket for reckless driving, excessive speeding, fleeing officers or drag racing. According to police, half of the cars towed so far were not owned by their drivers.

So far, a majority of the cars have been towed for going 25 mph or more over the speed limit, according to a fact sheet from police. The average speed was 31 mph over, the highest was 52 mph over, police said.

As part of the program, police said they have so far arrested three people for illegally carrying firearms or drugs, two people for recklessly endangering safety, and one for driving while revoked.

“It is not enough to simply respond to reckless driving crashes, injuries and fatalities. We
are working to prevent reckless driving and prevent the crashes,” said Mayor Cavalier Johnson
in a news release from police. “We are towing significant numbers of recklessly driven vehicles. That’s part of our comprehensive approach. We are sending a message about the real consequences reckless drivers face when they flout the law.”