Legislators asked to reinstate OWI vehicle seizure law

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GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — State lawmakers have been asked to give Wisconsin’s circuit court judges the authority to order the seizure of vehicles owned by repeat drunken drivers, a power they had before a push toward ignition-interlock devices.

Brown County supervisors have voted to ask legislators to reinstate the law giving judges the option of ordering law enforcement to seize vehicles from people who have repeatedly been found guilty of operating while intoxicated, according to USA Today Network-Wisconsin.

Wisconsin has some of the weakest drunken-driving laws in the country, but it’s not because legislators haven’t tried changing them. But the lobby group, Tavern League of Wisconsin, and its 5,000 members have strong influence in the state Capitol.

Operating while intoxicated isn’t a felony in Wisconsin until the fourth offense. A first offense is a municipal ordinance which doesn’t require the accused to appear in court. A legislative proposal to permanently revoke the license of drivers convicted of five drunken driving convictions failed last year.

Republican Rep. Andre Jacque has worked to toughen Wisconsin’s OWI laws.

“It’s going to be an issue of what’s our priority for the session,” said Jacque, who said he is working on a bill to close loopholes in laws governing ignition-interlock devices. “It’s always frustrating to see how difficult it can be to get new OWI laws passed.”

The authority for judges to seize vehicles was taken away in 2009 in favor of a law that emphasized the use of ignition locks. The change reinforced the requirement that drivers need to be sober without taking away their ability to get to work and support themselves or a family.

Jim Palmer, president of the state’s largest police union, said chiefs and sheriffs would have more work at a time they’re being asked to do more with less.

“There is a reason that the approach of seizing of vehicles was abandoned by the state several years ago,” said Palmer, president of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association. “The resources, manpower, and time needed to implement those seizures were significant, and the practice failed to reduce recidivism.”

Brown County Sheriff John Gossage agreed that seizing the vehicles of habitual drunken drivers means more work for his department.

Space and time would be needed to maintaining the vehicle inventory and hold regular sales to turn seized assets into cash. While some vehicles might generate income, those in poor condition could create long-term problems, Gossage said.