LA HABRA : City Raises Fee for Impounded Vehicles

The city has increased car impound fees by $10, raising to $30 what motorists must now pay to reclaim automobiles towed by police.

The City Council last week approved the fee increase in an effort to recover costs.

Any car towed because of expired vehicle registration or other violations is subject to the fee, Police Capt. John Rees said. If a vehicle is stolen and ends up in one of the city’s two towing yards, no fee is charged by the Police Department, he added.

The City Council also approved an increase in charges for copies of photographs taken by police at crime scenes and traffic accidents. Photos, which mainly are bought by insurance companies, now cost $7 each--$2 more than they did for the past four years, Rees said.

In addition, the flat fee of $20 per audio or videotape of emergency or routine traffic calls was changed to $20 for each hour it takes a police official to review the tape and make a copy. A 20-minute tape, for example, would take about one hour to review and copy, Rees said.

“Basically, we’re just getting reimbursed for the time we spend,” Rees said. “And, it just means that the cost of getting your vehicle, a photo or tape has gone up.”