City Council Postpones Vote On Vehicle Impound Proposal

by ABC-7 Reporter/Anchor Ken Molestina

EL PASO, Texas — One of the most talked-about city issues in recent times went into another round of debate on Tuesday. The issue was the proposal that would allow police to impound your car if it isn’t insured.

Heated debate filled City Council chambers as both proponents and opponents of the initiative sounded off. The main problem addressed Tuesday was that there were too many hypothetical situations that were not addressed clearly.

In the end, City Council voted to have the measure go before a review committee made up of City Council members and El Paso residents.

As the proposal for the move stands, police officers would have the discretion to impound a car if the owner cannot provide insurance. What police officials said on Tuesday was that police have an internal system that would allow them to verify if the driver is insured despite them not being able to produce the insurance papers.

Many agree something needs to be done about uninsured drivers in the city, but they say the current proposal has not been completely thought out.

“I sit here dumbfounded because I agree with the police chief and I disagree. It’s not a solution, it’s just another addition to the problem,” said resident Jerry Theid.

Council has 30 days for the proposal to get vetted and go before a review committee. At that point they will reassess it.