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Wichita council places ordinance on first reading to ban unauthorized operation or removal of motor vehicles
Summary
Council voted 6-0 to place on first reading a city ordinance that would prohibit moving or towing a motor vehicle without permission from the owner, after staff described rising vehicle thefts and gaps in current charges.
The Wichita City Council voted 6-0 to place on first reading an ordinance that would clarify and expand local penalties for moving or towing a motor vehicle without the owner’s permission.
City law department attorney Sharon DeGraft told the council the change responds to a rising number of stolen vehicles and difficulty proving an intent to return a vehicle under the current municipal charge for “temporary deprivation of a motor vehicle.” “In many cases, that's a fact that the prosecutors simply cannot prove,” DeGraft said. She said the proposed ordinance would make it unlawful for anyone other than the owner, lienholder or operator to authorize another person to move or operate the vehicle and would give the Wichita Police Department additional tools to address unauthorized tows.
The ordinance text mirrors existing municipal penalty structures. DeGraft said penalties would mirror the temporary-deprivation penalties, with a first-offense exposure that includes up to 30 days in jail and a $100 fine and graduated penalties thereafter; council member questions noted the ordinance also sets a monetary range judges may impose. Councilman Johnson asked how permission would be proven; DeGraft replied that oral permission is possible and that disputed claims would become factual issues for the court. “Certainly, [written permission] would be preferred,” she said, “but in many cases I may give my son permission to borrow my car. I'm not going to write a permission slip for him to use the car.”
Vice Mayor moved to place the ordinance on first reading and authorize signatures; the motion was seconded and passed 6-0.
The council did not take final action; the ordinance will return for further readings and any amendments.
The discussion followed department reports that reported roughly 2,300 motor vehicle thefts in Wichita in 2023 and nearly 2,700 in 2024. DeGraft said the new local language is also intended to address incidents in which unlicensed or unmarked tow vehicles remove cars from private property without the owner’s knowledge or consent.
