Judge Strikes Down LAPD Car Impound Policy

A judge has struck down an Los Angeles Police Department policy that makes it easier for unlicensed drivers to keep their cars instead of having them impounded after police stops.

Deputy District Attorney Gerald Sato said Monday that Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Terry Green sided with the police union and a taxpayer group challenging the policy and agrees that the policy violates the state’s vehicle code.

Special Order 7 allows some unlicensed drivers who are stopped to produce registration and proof of insurance to avoid having their cars impounded for 30 days.

Attorney Michael Kaufman of the ACLU of Southern California, which represented the community groups defending the policy, says they will request a stay of the decision pending their appeal.