Thursday, October 8, 2026, 10:45 a.m. (New York City time), 250 Broadway - 8th Floor - Hearing Room 1
Committee: Committee on Public Safety
Chair Oswald J. Feliz convened the Committee on Public Safety to vote on Proposed Introduction 489-A, sponsored by Council Member Inna Vernikov. The bill would require the City to create and maintain a centralized online database where the public can search for vehicles towed from public or private property by a City entity or licensed private tow operator, with an opt-in notification feature for vehicle owners. Council Member Vernikov described the bill as replacing an old system that required owners to search multiple databases or call police precincts, and thanked the agencies, Council staff and towing industry members who worked on it. The clerk announced a vote of seven in the affirmative, zero in the negative and no abstentions, and the bill was adopted by the committee.
0:07 Working out.
0:07 Good morning. Good morning
0:08 .welcome to the New York City
0:09 council committee vote on
0:10 public safety at this time we
0:11 access to please silence all
0:13 electronics and please do not
0:15 approach today is chair, you
0:16 begin. Thank you
0:17 , so much good morning
0:18 ,everyone. My name is Oswald
0:19 felice and I'm the chair of
0:21 the committee on public safet
0:24 y. I would like to recognize
0:24 members of the committee
0:26 ,including council members,
0:27 hank's Justin Sanchez of
0:32 Council Member bernick aww,
0:34 wang and our backs. Today, the
0:38 committee will vote on
0:38 proposed introduction number 4
0:40 89, a sponsored by council
0:43 enough this bill require the
0:43 study to create I mean,
0:46 maintain a centralized Sunday
0:49 online database that allows a
0:49 member of the public to search
0:50 for information related t
0:51 ovehicles that have been told
0:52 from public or private
0:54 property by the City or
0:56 licensed private tow oratoper.
1:00 This centralized database
1:02 will replace existing
1:03 procedures that often
1:05 frustrated vehicle owners
1:06 where individuals must search,
1:08 competing told databases or
1:09 contact the local police
1:11 precinct to locate vehicles
1:11 told within the City.
1:15 Additionally, the centralized
1:15 database will have
1:17 functionality to allow vehicle
1:18 Nurse two opt in to a
1:20 notification system tha
1:21 tallows vehicle owners if their
1:23 vehicle information is entered
1:24 into the towing database. I
1:26 urge my colleagues to support
1:27 this common sense piece of
1:29 legislation that will improve
1:30 the City is of services and
1:33 simplify the process for
1:34 drivers to locate total
1:36 vehicles before turning the
1:37 clerk before turning to the
1:38 clerk to like boat. I'd like
1:39 to invite a Council Member,
1:40 you know buryakov to see a few
1:41 words on her bill. Thank you
1:42 , everyone for being so
1:44 patient. Thank you. Chair,
1:45 please. Members of publi
1:46 csafety committee. I am
1:48 thrilled that this bill is up
1:49 for a vote today. This bill is
1:51 the result of a lot of
1:54 bipartisan cooperation, many
1:55 meetings work of many agencies
1:57 towing businesses and a lot of
2:00 drafts introduction 49 a will
2:02 create a centralized database
2:03 online database that allows
2:04 the public to search for
2:06 information on any vehicle
2:07 that has been moved or chode
2:09 from public or private
2:11 property by a City entity or
2:13 licensed private tow operator.
2:15 This will replace a very old,
2:17 non functional system and
2:18 procedures that have
2:21 frustrated many vehicle owners
2:22 where before that be searching
2:23 through many different all
2:24 databases with little success
2:27 or recalling police precincts
2:28 New yorkers will be able to go
2:29 on to one centralized portal
2:32 to locate their towed vehicle,
2:34 which will greatly limit
2:35 frustration and save them time
2:36 , hassle and perhaps some
2:39 money for the most difficult
2:41 cases. Additionally, the
2:42 database will have a function
2:44 to allow vehicle owners to opt
2:46 in to notifications that
2:47 alerts them if they're vehicle
2:49 was moved or child I'd like to
2:51 thank all those who over the
2:52 past couple of years of helped
2:53 to see this bill through
2:56 speaker mennen cheerful ease.
2:57 Members of the public safety
3:00 committee, nypd department of
3:02 finance and many different
3:04 agencies involved in helping
3:04 to work out the details,
3:07 including senior legislative
3:08 attorney for New York City
3:09 council josh kingsley,
3:10 executive director of the
3:12 minority delegation peter
3:13 spencer, my legislative
3:15 director troy olson, as well
3:15 as members of the public and
3:17 towing industry who came to m
3:18 ewith their input that helped
3:21 inform the version, you'll be
3:22 voting on today. Thank you
3:23 very much and I look forward
3:25 to the public having the
3:26 convenience of you this great
3:28 tool. Thank you
3:31 , thank you so much
3:32 councilmember gonna call an
3:33 alternate to the clerk for a
3:36 vote. Thank you. Good morning
3:37 ,william martin committee
3:38 clinic roll call vote
3:38 committee on public safety
3:40 proposed introduction for
3:42 eight. Nine a chair, the least
3:46 I'm good. I hank's I Nurse
3:57 Banks. I
3:57 . Am. Congratulations on your
4:04 bill Hankerson.
4:04 I just want to say t
4:05 ocounselor protocol I love this
4:06 bill I needed it two years ago
4:08 . So thank you, Justin Sanchez
4:12 I areola with a vote of seve
4:24 nin the affirmative, zero I
4:25 nthe negative and no
4:26 pretensions item has been
4:27 adopted by the committee
4:30 . Thank you so much. I want t
4:32 ocongratulate council vernick.
4:32 Aww, I could have used this
4:33 bill could have been helpful
4:34 to me about a year ago, I woke
4:36 up, went to my car and during
4:37 that my car had literally
4:39 disappeared and had no idea
4:40 where it once. So
4:41 congratulations. Thank you for
4:42 working on this, we'll hold a
4:43 vote open for a few minutes of
4:48 will join. Thank you so much
13:12 everyone. The bill passes
13:13 unanimously the voters is