Reply To: What gives police the right to impound the car?

The reasons why a duly designated “law enforcement” officer, not just “police” may seize a vehicle or any other item of personal property are to lengthy to list here in a single posting. The laws vary between federal and state jurisdictions, and even within a single state, some local jurisdictions may have statutes authorizing seizure for reasons ranging from unpaid debt, the property being used in connection with a crime or have some evidentiary “materiality” in connection with a crime. The Federal rules authorizing seizure on among the most aggressive and are the subject of multiple lawsuits and have changed only modestly (as police in some state and local jurisdictions claimed that such property grabs provide a large percentage of their revenues).