If you have an abandoned vehicle or left it parked in a public lot for so long that it has been red-tagged by the police, it could soon be towed to impound.

Police Chief Gene Meek said the department will start towing vehicles this week, after receiving the prompt from Borough Manager Mason Villarma.

During the Feb. 10 borough assembly meeting, Assembly Member David Powell applauded the recent efforts of officials in moving forward with big projects, but said other things shouldn’t be neglected.

“I just think that we don’t need to let some things slip through the cracks,” Powell said. “Like the tagged vehicles. I’ve been seeing more of them than before.”

The red tag is applied after a vehicle has been sitting unused for a prolonged period of time, typically 10 days. The tag is stuck to the vehicle’s windshield with the date and the number of the code violation written on it.

During a Feb. 13 interview, Meek said the department has been prepared to move tagged vehicles, but there was a significant obstacle to clear before that could happen.

“We didn’t have the funding to tow vehicles in our budget,” he said. “It can be expensive, especially when you’re talking about multiple vehicles. But Mason contacted me on Wednesday (Feb. 11) and gave me the green light.”

The cost of towing a vehicle for the borough is $300.

According to Meek, a towed vehicle will be taken to impound. The borough will mail a certified letter to the owner of record and publish a notice in the Sentinel.

If, after 30 days, the vehicle isn’t recovered by the owner, the borough will obtain title to the abandoned property and it will either be scrapped or sold, with the borough keeping the proceeds to help recover costs.

“I don’t want to have to take someone’s vehicle. I really don’t,” Meek said. “But when a car has been abandoned for several months and nothing has happened, we have to do something.”

He said the towing operation will start at the Inner Harbor, as multiple tagged cars have been parked outside the Marine Bar for a prolonged period of time. Following that, the chief will decide the next areas to go to.

“One positive sign is that we have been contacted by some people since we posted about this on Facebook,” he said. “I would say that close to half of the vehicles at the Inner Harbor have called and said they’re going to move the vehicles.”

Meek said he is relieved to see some vehicle owners taking action, and he hopes that more will follow suit.

“If everyone gets their vehicles, then we’ll have less to worry about towing,” he said. “That could save us money and time.”