|
Project
Characteristics |
|
Innovative
Self
Sufficient
|
|
Program
Areas |
|
Alcohol
and Other Drugs
|
Type
of Jurisdiction |
|
New
York City
Five
Counties (NY, Bronx, Queens, Kings, Richmond)
|
Targeted
Population |
| Adults |
Jurisdiction
Size |
| 9
million |
Funding |
|
None
|
Contact |
Asst.
Com. R.F. Messner
NYC PD/Civ. Engr. Unit
2 Lafayette Street, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10007-1325
(917) 454-1100
|
|
Digest
Listing
|
|
|
|
NEW YORK
N.Y.P.D. Vehicle
Forfeiture Initiative
PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
Prior
to implementing the New York City Police Department (N.Y.P.D.) Vehicle
Forfeiture Initiative, one third of motor vehicle fatalities in New York City
were alcohol-related. Often, the threat of arrest and imprisonment was not
enough of a deterrent. In addition, those arrested for drinking and driving had
no incentive to participate in alcohol or substance abuse counseling. Offenders
were allowed to continue to drive, giving them the opportunity to repeatedly
commit the same offense.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The N.Y.P.D. Vehicle Forfeiture
Initiative’s goal is to prevent injuries, reduce property damage,
and ultimately save lives.
The project’s objectives are to:
- Decrease the number of alcohol-related fatalities in
New York City
;
- Decrease the number of Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) incidents
using this program as a deterrent; and
- Remove drunk drivers from the highway.
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
The N.Y.P.D. Vehicle Forfeiture
Initiative is based on a long-standing provision of the New York
City Administrative Code (local law) that provides for forfeiture of the
proceeds from and instruments used to commit a crime. The N.Y.P.D. put a new twist on this existing law and developed the DWI
Vehicle Forfeiture Initiative. Prior to DWI offenses, the N.Y.P.D.
successfully used vehicle forfeiture actions to address diverse crimes and
quality of life problems such as drugs, prostitution, and stolen property.
The Initiative requires that if you are arrested for drunk driving, your
vehicle will be seized. The rationale is that, since the vehicle helped commit the crime, seizing
an impaired driver’s vehicle is like taking away a burglar’s tools or
a bank robber’s gun. The impaired driver can’t commit a drinking and driving offense if he or
she is not behind the wheel.
RESULTS
The N.Y.P.D. Vehicle Forfeiture
Initiative has saved many lives by encouraging people to refrain from
drinking and driving. As a result of this policy, more people think about
the consequences of drinking excessively and getting behind the wheel.
Loss of a personal vehicle has proven to be a powerful deterrent that has
accomplished more than the threat of arrest and imprisonment. The hardship and inconvenience suffered when the family car is taken has
changed behavior in exactly the ways that the program intended.
Furthermore, the Civil Enforcement Unit of the N.Y.P.D. uses settlement of
such matters in lieu of litigation as an incentive for defendants to
enroll in alcoholism or substance abuse counseling. The N.Y.P.D. Vehicle Forfeiture Initiative has proven to be an effective
and innovative way to prevent injury and property damage.
The
historic drop in overall crime in New
York City has greatly increased both the actual safety and the perception of order
and security of the community. The
success of the vehicle forfeiture program has contributed significantly to
this achievement. Since the inception of the program, the initiative has:
-
Seized
over 6,500 vehicles from motorists who chose to continue drinking and
driving
-
Survived
numerous legal challenges such as providing retention hearings to
defendants from whom a vehicle was seized
-
Expanded the range of options
available to the N.Y.P.D. in addressing crime and quality of life
problems
-
Altered
the way the community perceives drinking and driving
-
Increased
the number of defendants enrolled in alcoholism or substance abuse
counseling
-
Decreased the percentage of DWI
operator-related fatalities to less than six percent
|
