LOS ANGELES, December 18, 2011 – Reacting to another tragic pedestrian fatality caused by an unlicensed driver, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) late Sunday called on Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to cancel a directive to have the LAPD end 30-day vehicle holds on unlicensed drivers.

A 60-year-old woman from Missouri was killed Saturday when she was hit by a sport utility vehicle driven by an unlicensed driver in Panorama City, officials said. “The tragic accident in Panorama City shows how the mayor’s new policy can result in innocent people being injured and killed,” said LAPPL President Paul M. Weber. “The Mayor’s directive puts politics above public safety and should be rescinded.”

Weber said vehicles driven by unlicensed drivers should be impounded for two reasons: “First, an unlicensed driver willing to ignore the law is, at least temporarily, less likely to further violate this law because he or she will not have access to the impounded vehicle. Second, the cost and inconvenience of recovering an impounded vehicle discourages people without licenses from driving. That is precisely why the state legislature enacted the 30-day hold law.”

Weber added that the mayor’s directive substantially reduces the disincentives against the unlicensed and unlawful operation of a vehicle. It also exposes officers and the City to potential legal liabilities stemming from any damage or injury caused by an unlicensed driver’s continued operation of a vehicle that, under state law, should have been impounded, he said.

Under state law, police officers can impound the cars of motorists caught driving without a license. Ignoring the public safety benefits of this law, the mayor has called on the LAPD to end 30-day vehicle holds on first-offense unlicensed drivers.

“The reason behind the change is politics,” Weber said. “The mayor is concerned that a large number of illegal immigrants cannot get a driver’s license under California law, but nevertheless drive on our streets and therefore have their vehicles impounded. Some community leaders and politicians have decided that it is more important that those illegal immigrants and other unlicensed drivers have free reign to drive on our streets than to have drivers whose licenses prove they understand the rules of the road.”

Contact:Eric Rose (805) 624-0572 or Paul Haney (626) 755-4759

About the LAPPL: Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents the more than 9,900 dedicated and professional sworn members of the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPPL serves to advance the interests of LAPD officers through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education. The LAPPL can be found on the Web at www.LAPD.com.