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1. If my vehicle is impounded, what is the procedure to get it back?

Vehicles are impounded for various reasons under village ordinance. The most common reason is from an arrest of a driver. The arresting officer will issue a form called Notice of Seizure to the driver which informs the driver why the vehicle was seized. A hold is placed on the vehicle until the penalty is paid. After a seizure occurs, the procedure to get it back is for the owner to come to the front desk of the Police Department and pay $500 (cash only) to the clerk. The clerk will issue a receipt to the owner and notify the tow company that the hold is lifted. The owner will then have to go the respective tow company (Arties Towing, Redmon's Towing or Bloomingdale Towing) to get their vehicle. The owner is responsible for paying the tow company the towing and storage fee.

2. If my vehicle is impounded, how do I appeal the reason it was impounded?

The owner of the vehicle can have a preliminary hearing for the impoundment within the first 24 hours. The owner will have to come to the front desk of the Police Department and tell the clerk that they want to have a hearing on the impoundment of the vehicle. The on-duty supervisor will conduct a preliminary hearing with the owner and determine whether the vehicle will continue to be impounded or not. If the owner is denied the return of the vehicle, the owner will then be contacted by the village in the form of a certified letter informing the owner when the hearing on the matter will take place. The owner can still obtain the vehicle back prior to having a hearing in front of the administrative hearing officer by paying the a $500 penalty and all towing and storage costs.

A hearing is held in front of a administrative hearing officer to determine whether the driver of the owner’s vehicle was in violation of village ordinance or not. If the administrative hearing officer rules in favor of the village, the $500 penalty stands. If the hearing officer rules in favor of the driver, the $500 is returned to the owner.