MILWAUKEE — For the first time, Milwaukee police are towing vehicles from first-offense reckless drivers under a new state law that closed loopholes in previous legislation.
Watch: 47 reckless drivers towed in Milwaukee under new first-offense law
The expanded law, which took effect in November, allows officers to immediately tow any reckless driver’s vehicle — regardless of whether they own the car or have previous unpaid fines.
In less than three months under the new law, Milwaukee Police Department data shows 47 vehicles have been towed. Under the previous law, in effect for more than two years, only 13 vehicles were towed.
“Any time we write a reckless driving ticket, we are required to tow,” an officer said during a recent traffic stop.
The change means drivers must pay a $923 reckless driving fine plus towing and storage fees to get their cars back. City records show some drivers have yet to reclaim their vehicles.
Personal tragedy drives legislative change
The law’s expansion was championed by Abbie Strong-Justman, whose husband, Aaron, was killed three years ago by a reckless driver while heading to the downtown church where he worked as a pastor. The crash left two children without a father.
“If you break the law, you’ve got to pay the penalty,” Strong-Justman said.
Strong-Justman took her advocacy to the state Capitol in 2023, pushing for stiffer penalties for reckless drivers.
“I don’t want other kids to have to go to bed at night wanting their dad to be there to tuck them in,” she said. “I wanted to be able to make a difference, even if it was for one family.”
Law closes previous loopholes
State Representative Bob Donovan, a Greenfield Republican, led the effort to expand the original legislation after it proved ineffective.
"I thought it would be far more utilized," Donovan said of the initial law.
The original law allowed towing only for repeat offenders with unpaid fines who were caught driving their own vehicles. The expanded version removes those restrictions.
“Whenever officers see reckless drivers, I want them to go after them,” Donovan said.
Recent enforcement examples
Recent cases under the new law include an uninsured 17-year-old with a previously clean driving record caught going 44 mph over the speed limit, a drunk driver swerving through traffic in his girlfriend’s car, and a driver with a suspended license caught speeding 62 mph in a 30 mph zone.
“You’re doing well over freeway speeds on a city street. That is insane,” an officer told one driver.
All three first-offense drivers offered excuses for their speeds but left needing rides home as their cars were towed.
Strong-Justman hopes the immediate consequences will make drivers reconsider their actions.
“I hope that they can take the blinders off, that it’s not about them,” she said. “That it’s about our community, it’s about their neighbor, it’s about their niece or nephew, it’s about their own son or daughter.”
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