Colorado State Rep. Joel Judd, D-Denver, has come out in opposition to Denver Ballot Initiative 300, the so-called impound initiative. He criticized the proposed law as overreaching and unnecessary. “If Initiative 300 becomes law, police officers would be forced to impound the vehicle of anyone driving without their license or registration, even in the case of a driver forgetting their wallet or purse at home.”
Dan Hayes, the man behind the initiative, told the Colorado Independent that it’s important that everyone be properly licensed, but he also indicated that finding and penalizing illegal immigrants was at the heart of the bill’s objectives.
Judd signed on with Coloradans for Safe Communities, a coalition of unions, immigrants advocacy groups, law enforcement groups, and lawmakers, to oppose the initiative. He outlined his arguments against the initiative in a statement:
* If Initiative 300 becomes law, police officers would be forced to impound the vehicle of anyone driving without their license or registration, even in the case of a driver forgetting their wallet or purse at home. Once impounded, a driver could be forced to pay in excess of $2700 to get their vehicle out of impound.
* This measure, if passed would cost the police department of Denver 1.6 million dollars at a time when the city faces a budget shortfall and many important programs are being cut.
* Police officers are already given the ability to impound vehicles if they feel it is in the best interest of public safety, including driving without a license. This initiative micromanages the efforts of our police men and women by forcing them to wait for tow trucks and to fill out paperwork instead of spending their time safeguarding our city.
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