NYC TO SEIZE CARS OF DUI SUSPECTS

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - Starting Monday, New York will become the first
city in the United States to seize vehicles on the spot of drivers
suspected of drunken driving, including first-time offenders, city
officials said.

Under the new policy, if a suspect is convicted on charges of driving
while intoxicated, the vehicle will be auctioned off by the Police
Department. If the suspect is acquitted, the car will likely be
returned, but city lawyers would have the ability to keep the car
through a civil action.

Twenty-two states allow municipal officials to seize the cars of
drunken drivers, but almost all of those involve repeat offenders. No
city uses its own laws as a basis for car seizures for drunken driving
charges.

The weekend announcement by Republican Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and
Police Commissioner Howard Safir brought immediate complaints from
civil liberties groups, which vowed to fight the new policy in court.