WEST ALLIS, Wis. — On Tuesday night, the West Allis Common Council voted unanimously to approve a new towing law aimed at preventing reckless driving.
The city is the first municipality in Milwaukee County to vote on this change after Gov. Tony Evers signed a bill into law that allows cities to tow the vehicles of reckless drivers if they have unpaid reckless driving fines.
The bill’s author, state Representative Bob Donovan, said the legislation was created as a result of one of TMJ4’s Project: Drive Safer reports.
Though a number of cities have said they are in the process of putting together a proposal to pass this towing agreement, West Allis is the first to put it to a vote Tuesday night.
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Lamar Bryson, who lives near Greenfield Avenue in West Allis, says he doesn’t think the towing change is a positive one.
“I think it’s wrong,” said Bryson. “A lot of people will go into debt because of that. I don’t think reckless driving has anything to do with tickets.”
Meanwhile, Henry Gillessen, who’s in favor of the move, told TMJ4 the more accountability held for reckless drivers the better.
“We should be stricter with [reckless driving] punishments,” Gillessen told TMJ4’s Mariam Mackar. “I deliver papers in West Allis at night so I hear all the police chases and see it going on. I think the new law could do some greater good.”
This new change will give police the ability to tow a driver’s vehicle if they have a reckless driving fine that hasn’t been paid within the last four years. That driver would have 90 days to pay their unpaid citations and towing and impound fines to get their car back. If that isn’t done in 90 days, the vehicle will be repossessed.
The West Allis Police Department told TMJ4 in a statement that they are in “support of the ordinance as it’s another tool to curb reckless driving in West Allis.”
Recklessness on the roads, something that frequent drivers in the area like Gillessen say is a major concern.
“I worry about it quite a bit. I have stopped listening to the radio and started listening to the scanners to stay out of the trouble areas,” said Gillessen.
With the passing of this new ordinance, Gillessen says he hopes this will help fight dangerous driving in the long run.
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