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Council holds first and second readings on motor-vehicle tampering amendment; moves bill to final reading
Summary
Council conducted first and second readings of Bill 6,297, which would add an unlawful entry provision to Maplewood's tampering-with-motor-vehicles ordinance to address so-called "car clotting." Council discussed enforcement limits relative to state law and advanced the bill to a third and final reading at a future meeting.
During its Oct. 14 meeting, the Maplewood City Council conducted the first and second readings of Bill 6,297, which would add an offense of unlawfully gaining entry to the city's tampering-with-motor-vehicles ordinance.
Nut graf: The proposed change is intended to give municipal officers a local ordinance to address individuals testing car doors and handles across multiple vehicles (described in the meeting as "car clotting"). Council members asked how municipal enforcement would interact with state statute enforcement; staff and the city attorney explained municipal codification is enforced in municipal court while state statute violations are handled under state law.
Council discussion and next steps
City legal staff described the measure as consistent with other municipalities that have adopted similar local provisions to criminalize patterns of behavior (checking handles on multiple cars) rather than isolated incidents. Council members asked whether the state statute could be used instead of a municipal ordinance; staff explained that citing state statutes would route enforcement outside municipal court. Council did not finalize the ordinance tonight; the motion passed by voice vote to advance the bill to a third and final reading at the council's next meeting.
Implementation note: If adopted on final reading, enforcement would proceed under the municipal ordinance in Maplewood Municipal Court unless a prosecuting authority chooses state statute charges for more serious incidents.
