Legal Question About Parked Cars

[Benny]

I just stopped by my parents house to borrow a tool from my Dad. As I was leaving, one of the neighbors(who is new and I've never met them) just told me that a local PO just stopped by while she was outside and asked her if anyone ever drives their(my parents) car. This car is legally parked and has up-to-date plates. They don't drive it and just haven't got around to selling it.

Doing the neighborly thing, she told them that they do in fact drive it and she saw them in it just the other day.

Apparently that wasn't enough, so the PO drew arrows pointing down on the tires with some white substance and they said they'd be back soon to see if the arrows have moved...If not, they will plaster a big warning sticker on the car that says they have reason to believe the car is abandoned and it will be towed within 72 hours.

WTF?

Can they do that to a legally parked car with up-to-date plates and also have a witness that says it's being driven?

Are they allowed to vandalize the car with white paint because they don't think it's being driven enough?

 

[Dargasonus]

It's probably a chalk and not paint, it will wear off when driven a short ways. The legalities I don't know though I don't understand how they could claim it abandoned, but I don't understand a lot of the things they do.

 

[Kase]

You think any of the neighbors would have called and complained? Sounds pretty stupid to me. I don't belive they can legally do anything about it as long as the plates are up to date and its in a legal parking spot

 

[Brandon]

is it in the street or on the driveway?

 

[Benny]

You think any of the neighbors would have called and complained? Sounds pretty stupid to me. I don't belive they can legally do anything about it as long as the plates are up to date and its in a legal parking spot

Highly unlikely...Most of the neighbors my parents have known for awhile and if they had a complaint they would tell them first and the new people may or may not have lied when telling the PO it has been driven.

 

[Benny]

is it in the street or on the driveway?

In the street right in front of my parents house.

 

[Brandon]

is there dedicated parking spaces or anything? or just a cookie cutter housing addition streets?

if its some neighborhood with an hoa... im sure that has a majority to do with the complaint and an officer saying things that were posted here....

if the house has parking spots in front of it... not sure where to go with it then. tell the cops to take a hike i guess

 

[Bunnykid68]

Tell everyone to pound sand.

 

[Benny]

is there dedicated parking spaces or anything? or just a cookie cutter housing addition streets?

if its some neighborhood with an hoa... im sure that has a majority to do with the complaint and an officer saying things that were posted here....

if the house has parking spots in front of it... not sure where to go with it then. tell the cops to take a hike i guess

No hoa and anyone is free to park where ever they want. There are unknown cars parked in front of my parent's house on a regular basis and as long as it not blocking the driveway, my parent's don't care.

 

[mrjarrell]

Drive the car around the block and park it back in place. This cop just wants an excuse to steal your parents car and make some cash for the city.

 

[grimor]

get some white chalk and use the arrow, make a *

 

[Benny]

Drive the car around the block and park it back in place. This cop just wants an excuse to steal your parents car and make some cash for the city.

I turned the tires 180 degrees.



I know exactly which officer is behind this. She is the one and only female on the local force and she is an absolute (4 letter word that rhymes with grunt).

Every other local officer that I've ever come in contact with has been polite, respectful of both you and your rights and wouldn't even bother with doing crap like this. For some reason she feels the need to go above and beyond to be a piece of ****. I've never heard anyone mention her name without calling her something derogatory at the same time.

 

[Benny]

get some white chalk and use the arrow, make a "=*** You"

=antastic idea!


(BTW, you should change that "uck" to asterisks to avoid a possible 48 hour vacation)

 

[Bunnykid68]

Stake the car out, and when you see said officer messing with the car call the Sheriffs department and say some one is writing on my parents car. I do not want to confront them, they have a gun.

 

[lovemachine]

The restaurant in Danville, Mayberry Cafe, has a car that looks like the Mayberry cop car. They always had it parked, legally, right in front of their building. Few years ago, some woman raised a HUGE stink about it. Because she wanted to park there. It was all over the news.

Make a long story short, the restaurant has to park it somewhere else every so often.

 

[Denny347]

Check local ordinances for your town. There very well could be a parking issue you are not aware of, I have no idea though since I can only speak for Indy.
http://www.indy.gov/eGov/City/DCE/Resources/Documents/abandonded.inoperable.vehicles2011.pdf

 

[Fireaxes]

Some cities have an ordinance that prohibits cars from being parked in one spot on city streets for more than 72 hours. I ran into this with my Grandma's car parked in front of her house.

 

[Manan]

Yes, there could be a city ordinance about abandoned vehicles. Drive the car and park it up by the police officers POV at the P.D.

 

[Scutter01]

Yes, there could be a city ordinance about abandoned vehicles.

If the tags are valid and it's parked legally, how is it abandoned?

 

[topash]

State law references: IC 9-13-2-1 sets forth the state's definition for "abandoned vehicle."


__________

(1) A vehicle located on public property illegally;

(2) A vehicle left on public property without being moved for three (3) days;


When I lived in South Bend, this law was constantly used to impound cars parked on the street in front of the owner's homes.
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