KANSAS CITY, Mo — A Kansas City councilwoman had a faceoff with police Wednesday, over whether officers had the right to tow her car for expired plates.
Councilwoman Alissia Canady says she walked out to her car after lunch, to find it hooked up to a tow truck.
Police dashcam video shows Canady’s car door open, because police say after the car was lifted to be hauled away for expired plates, Canady climbed in it and started it up.
Police officers can be heard asking Canady to get out of her car. The 5th District councilwoman refused, saying that officers did not have a right to tow her car for expired plates.
“The issue was, he was attempting to tow a car that the ordinance did not allow and I advised him that that was not the law,” said Canady
Municipal code states an officer is authorized remove a car when it is parked on the streets without valid license plates.
Canady says expired plates are not the same as valid plates, but KCPD disagrees. Police say expired plates are no longer valid, and a vehicle with expired plates is improperly licensed.
Canady takes responsibility for her expired tags, saying she had her car inspected in May, and simply forgot to register. The Councilwoman stands by her interpretation of the city ordinance. As evidence to her position, she says the police unhooked her car and let her drive away.
KCPD says the officer used discretion by releasing Canady’s car. The reason they say, was to avoid escalating the situation because the next step was to drag her out of the car, as she was not following police orders.
“I never heard that, that was not a part of our conversation,” insists Canady. “I am just glad that we were reasonably able to come to what I feel like was a fair conclusion.”
Police eventually issued Canady a ticket and she says her car tags are no longer expired.
