Abandoned illegal vehicles are being towed in Detroit: What to know

DETROIT (FOX 2) - During his 11th State of the City Address on Wednesday, Mayor Mike Duggan said "2024 is the year we finally rid Detroit of the abandoned illegal vehicles."

Less than 24 hours later, FOX 2 accompanied the Detroit Police Department on the towing initiative that's improving neighborhoods.

"We’re impounding some vehicles that are parked illegally on this property," said DPD Capt. Jason Adams. "The goal is not to confiscate vehicles. The goal is to improve the area to combat blight."

But beautifying Detroit isn’t done in a day. It is a years-long process. 

Last year, Detroit police towed more than 14,000 abandoned vehicles. Four months into 2024, DPD has hauled in over 4,500 vehicles.

"You can’t store your cars on lawns. …You can’t store your commercial vehicles in our neighborhood," Duggan said during his speech. "You can’t store your whole fleet of commercial vehicles in our neighborhoods. You can’t store semis in your neighborhoods."

As part of Duggan's crackdown on all abandoned and illegal vehicles, a team of 20 city parking officers and a dozen code enforcement officers are ticketing inoperable or unlicensed cars on streets and private properties. 

At Kenney Street and Van Dyke, police were at it again – across from longtime Detroit resident David McGowan’s home.

Seeing the abandoned vehicles in neighborhoods is "an eyesore," McGowan said. The initiative is "a good thing in a way, as long as you give us a chance to clean this stuff up."

According to the city, more than 5,200 vehicles in neighborhoods have been ticketed this year, but 85% of the vehicles have been moved by their owners.

"I’m happy to serve the public, and we're happy to do what we can to improve the neighborhoods and be able to address the concerns and complaints of the citizens," Adams said.

Vehicles that are towed are taken to a Detroit lot to, eventually, be auctioned off or sold for scrap.