AUSTIN — Abandoned vehicles have become a huge problem for the Austin Police Department.
On Dec. 19 alone, Austin police received 1,357 calls for abandoned cars. And there are two officers in the entire city left to deal with those reports.
While you may think that car on your street is an eyesore, you might want to take some things into consideration before picking up the phone and reporting it to police.
The City of Austin defines an abandoned car as one that is either parked illegally or is mechanically inoperable.
Here are the qualifications for an illegally parked car:
- It is more than 18 inches from the curb
- It is facing the wrong way on the road
- It is parked on a controlled access highway
- It is an unattached trailer on the street
- It is a vehicle with a gross weight of more than 9,000 pounds on a 30 mph or less street
- It is marked as for sale
Here are the qualifications for a mechanically inoperable car:
- It is up on jack stands
- It has at least one flat tire
- It is wrecked
If the car meets the above criteria, you should call 311 or the APD's "Vehicle Abatement Unit." Keep in mind that there are two officers in this unit and that you may have to wait.
