To fight blight and crime, Philly is addressing its glut of abandoned vehicles

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Philadelphia’s Department of Transportation is working to remove a backlog of abandoned vehicles from the city’s streets.

Calls for service constitute the most frequent complaint received by Philadelphia’s 311 hotline.

On average, the hotline receives hundreds of such complaints each week. In 2024,  8,314 reports of abandoned vehicles were logged.

These vehicles pose safety hazards and detract from a neighborhood’s aesthetic appeal. They also occupy valuable parking spaces, which are often in short supply.

According to the city, each 311 call is investigated to determine if the reported vehicle is abandoned. Factors considered include severe body damage, lack of valid registration, or being overdue for inspection by 90 days or more.

Cases are vetted before towing, and vehicle owners may receive a courtesy notice from the Police Department.

Alim Howell constantly encountered abandoned vehicles cluttering his Upper Darby neighborhood’s streets and parking lots.

He was frustrated to see such vehicles outside his window.

“There used to be abandoned cars in our driveway,” said Howell in an interview with WHYY News. “It was an eyesore for me. It didn’t make me feel good. I know that stuff happens sometimes. But then I just wanted to remove it.”

Howell, an activist and advocate with Race for Peace, lamented the city’s months-long delay in sending a tow truck to remove abandoned vehicles from his property.

“It shouldn’t be that difficult to just basically call a towing company to get the cars removed from the locations,” Howell said.

Last December, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) announced it would assist the Philadelphia Police Department through its Critical Response program to streamline the removal of abandoned cars.

It’s part of the DOJ Collaborative Reform Initiative, alongside the National Policing Institute, to support the PPD by decreasing the number of abandoned vehicles to reduce crime and enhance community relations.

“One of the tenets of community policing is working with the community to address the public safety issues that are at the top of their priority list,” said Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer. “That is what the Philadelphia Police Department has done here, and the Department of Justice is thrilled to support this work.”

The Collaborative Reform Initiative offers three programs — the Technical Assistance Center, Critical Response, and Organizational Assessment — to support state, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement. The programs aim to foster relationships between law enforcement and communities while enhancing operational efficiency, officer safety, organizational learning, and community policing.

Researchers have found that abandoned cars not only create blight but also foster crime. Oakland, California, has been experiencing this issue for years, and it has ramped up resources and manpower to address both abandoned vehicles and related illegal activities.

In 2022, the city of Oakland implemented a new strategy to address the issue of abandoned vehicles. Historically, this responsibility had fallen to the police department, but it has not been a primary focus.

Only three police service technicians were assigned to manage abandoned vehicles, and they often had to redirect their efforts to other responsibilities.

The Philadelphia City Council has designated the transportation department as responsible for handling abandoned vehicles, authorizing 10 employees to address this issue.

This decision was based on a committee’s recommendations to re-evaluate policing practices after George Floyd’s death in 2020, identifying areas for transferring responsibilities away from the police department.

Additionally, this change acknowledges the need for increased attention and resources dedicated to addressing the issue of abandoned vehicles. The program is ongoing.

Alim Howell says he wants a safe neighborhood that won’t be mistaken for a junkyard.

“When you’re in a clean environment, it’s always good vibes, but then when the environment’s less clean, it’s always like more negative vibes, and that causes people sometimes to just act a little emotional because it’s not as clean as they want it to be.”