financial collapse is big business for police departments across the country. Data from the Institute of Justice says police took over $3 billion from citizens in 42 states and Washington DC in 2018 alone; Half a billion was collected under various state statutes while $2.5 billion was collected under federal statutes. At the state and local level, the financial collapse is lucrative for many city police departments across the country – often to the detriment of citizens who have not committed a crime. The New York Times reports that the Memphis Police Department has impounded vehicles from many residents of the city, often without any legal basis.

Vehicle confiscations have exploded in the city in recent years. It all started in 2021. Supposedly created as an attempt to thwart reckless driving and illegal street racing, Memphis Police Commissioner Cerelyn Davis outlined her plan to crack down by impounding people’s vehicles. The result of this action was the creation of a program called Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods, known as the Scorpion Unit. (This is the same unit that did the killing Tire Nichols.) Davis said the police would no longer report people for reckless behavior — they would just take people’s cars.

Out of The New York Times:

“When we identify individuals who recklessly drive far enough to endanger other lives, we want to include your car as well.” she said. “Take the car. Even if the case is dropped in court. We saw it. You made it. You could be uncomfortable for three days without your car. That’s enough.”

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland supported the measure and wanted to go further by not only impounding vehicles but also destroying them. “I don’t care if they spend a day in jail. Let me get their cars and then once a month we’ll all line them up, maybe at the old fairgrounds, Liberty Park, and just demolish them,” he said quoted as saying in 2022.

The unit and confiscations were deemed a success with over 270 vehicles taken in the first few months of operation. But these impounded vehicles were taken at a price.

Even if a crime had been committed, the legal justification for the vehicle confiscations was vague and questionable. defend that spoke to that Just pointed out, for example, that vehicles seized for suspected drug-related offenses often had nothing to do with any type of drug-related crime — and car owners had to navigate a complex court process to get their property back.

Most of the other vehicles were also stolen for the wrong reasons. This is what happened to Shawn Douglas Jr. After he was stopped and searched at a gas station, police said they found two bags of weed in Douglas’ backpack, a claim Douglas denies. The police eventually took away his 2015 Dodge Charger. before you take it Douglas said that Just that one officer remarked that his car “would be a great police vehicle. If we take those vehicles, we hope people don’t take them back so we can turn them into drug robberies.” Months later, all charges against Douglas were dropped, but the city still had his car, so he had to pay $925 to get it back.

Worse still, others trying to get their vehicles back come up against a legal system that was almost deliberately set up against them. And the city is keeping a low profile on how many vehicles it needs and how much money the city is making from these impounds. Until something can be done about how the city is campaigning against other reckless vehicle crime, largely innocent people will continue to pay the price. Go to New York Times for the whole story.

Under Edaran Modenas (EMOS) sales agency, Kawasaki Malaysia has opened its first 4S Center at Section 15, Shah Alam, Selangor. Known as Kawasaki Shah Alam, the opening of the 4s Center was attended by EMOS CEO Roslan Raskan, Chief Marketing Officer George Kashiwagi and Kawasaki Shah Alam CEO Datuk Chear Kin Keong.

In addition to selling Kawasaki motorcycles, parts and service, Kawasaki Shah Alam is also listed as a Kawasaki All Star Outlet. This means that Kawasaki riders and fans can purchase all current Kawasaki models from small to large displacements, as well as Kawasaki off-road models.

“Looking around Kawasaki Shah Alam, I am inspired that this unique experience store will also be a platform for the Kawasaki community to experience a wide range of KAwasaki’s innovative products in an immersive environment. We believe the Kawasaki brand’s true success story lies in its people,” said Roslan.

“All of our KAWASKI All Stars took on the design and construction of the Kawasaki Plazas in Japan, emphasizing product presentation and visual merchandising. We believe that by sharing the same design aspects and beliefs, the showroom will provide and fulfill visitors with a sense of belonging. In other words, to give them a taste of the Kawasaki experience: where culture meets interest,” said Kashiwagi.

• R.A.M. shared with dealers his idea of ​​a mid-size EV pickup concept.
• The electric concept would reportedly share many visual traits with the 1500 Revolution concept (pictured above) that Ram showed at CES earlier this year.
• The mid-size concept would fill a Dakota-shaped hole that has remained in the company’s lineup since the Dakota was discontinued in 2011.

Ram is preparing dealers for a possible mid-size EV pickup to be added to the lineup in the near future. The company showed dealers its ideas for a mid-size EV pickup concept at a meeting in Las Vegas, according to a report by Automotive News.

The new concept obviously shares much of its aesthetic with the full-size 1500 Revolution concept that Ram first unveiled at the CES tech show in January. Dealer Randy Dye described the concept as “the future” in a statement. Automotive News. “We’ll be there again [mid-size] game,” Dye told the publication. “Without a doubt, it looks like a ram,” he said.

Dye, who owns the Daytona Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram and Maserati Alfa Romeo of Daytona in Daytona Beach, Fla., explained the matter Automotive News that Stellantis representatives previewed 30 new products for multiple brands during the meeting. The meeting appeared to be the first of its kind in eight years for retailers, who were at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles before it merged with the PSA Group to create Stellantis.

Ram debuted the full-size 1500 Revolution concept with much excitement in January. The design was imaginative and innovative, with a highly configurable interior and third-row jump seats. But when the production version was unveiled a month later, many of the exciting features shown in the concept were gone. The foldable Midgate along with its integrated jump seats in the third row have seemingly been shelved.

A new mid-size EV pickup would likely be well received. Small and mid-size trucks from other manufacturers have been selling in large numbers in recent years, and Ram may be making up for the 11+ years without one since the Dakota was discontinued.

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Associate News Editor

Jack Fitzgerald’s love of cars stems from his unshakeable addiction to Formula One.
After a brief stint as a detailer for a local car dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn’t afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By pursuing his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel around Wisconsin seeking stories in the auto world before landing his dream job car and driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf.