Police impound 27 cars during operation
The Vallejo Police Department Traffic Division impounded 27 cars for different violations during an abandoned vehicle operation on Thursday, Vallejo police Lt. Michael Nichelini said in a news release.
Thirty-nine parking citation were issued, while eight cars were marked for towing if not moved within 72 hours. Most notably, the department recovered a Smith & Wesson pistol from an abandoned car, he added.
“There are still over 500 reported ‘abandoned’ vehicles to be checked that we work through in the order received. We receive over 300 reports a month regarding possible abandoned autos,” Nichelini said. “The Police Department has one dedicated civilian employee to check these reports and is only able to review approximately 200 reports a month, which often leads to over 100 cars towed per month.”
We try to do these abandoned auto operations to saturate an area or simply try and catch up on the list. However, our contract tow companies have a finite amount of space to store the cars. If they are not retrieved by the owner, (and most actual abandoned cars are not) they need to be disposed of, he explained. They can either be sold to a salvage yard or sold for scrap metal — at much less than it costs to tow the car.
“Candidly, towing abandoned cars is a costly activity to both the City of Vallejo and the six contracted tow companies,” Nichelini said.
The Vallejo Police Department encourages anyone who has a vehicle that is unregistered, missing parts needed to operate, or otherwise left on a city street to have it removed and/or brought into compliance with state and local laws.
People can report abandoned vehicles in multiple ways: By phone: (707) 648-4682; On the internet: www.cityofvallejo.net — Click on City Hall, Police, Online Services; Vallejo Police Mobile App (Available for iOS and Android platforms).
Residents are told not to report abandoned autos on Facebook, NextDoor or other social media platforms.