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Morton Grove adopts ordinance holding registered vehicle owners accountable when their cars are used to flee police
Summary
The Morton Grove Board of Trustees unanimously adopted Ordinance 25-26, adding a provision to the municipal code to allow penalties against a vehicle's registered owner when the vehicle is used to flee or attempt to elude police, with exceptions for reported thefts and a process to petition dismissal.
The Morton Grove Board of Trustees voted 6-0 on Sept. 23 to adopt Ordinance 25-26, a second-reading amendment to Title 5, Chapter 1, Section 3 of the municipal code that adds a new subsection to address fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer.
Trustee Travis moved to adopt the ordinance; Trustee White seconded. Trustees Khan, Mink, Sheba, Phil, Travis and White voted in favor.
The village and police department told trustees the change responds to a rise in motorists fleeing traffic stops. The police department documented six instances in 2018 and said the number exceeded 50 in 2024. The ordinance is intended to hold the registered owner of a motor vehicle accountable when that vehicle is used to flee or attempt to elude police, according to the presentation accompanying the ordinance.
Morton Grove's police chief said the village has a restrictive pursuit policy designed to protect officers, safeguard the public and reduce civil liability. The chief said the policy aligns with industry standards and department recommendations.
Trustees asked how the ordinance would treat stolen vehicles and situations in which parents report that their children used a car without permission. The police chief said that if a vehicle has been reported stolen before the incident, the registered owner will not be held liable. He added that if a registered owner comes forward and produces an affidavit identifying who was operating the vehicle, "the assessed amount to the registered owner can be dismissed." At the meeting a trustee read the ordinance language further clarifying that a vehicle stolen at the time of the violation and reported to the appropriate police authorities within 72 hours after the theft was discovered is not subject to the provision.
The ordinance text and discussion did not include specific civil-penalty amounts or an implementation timetable; those details were not specified during the meeting. The ordinance passed on its second reading, 6-0.
The board discussed the ordinance during the agenda item introduced as the ordinance's second reading and took the final vote later in the meeting.
