Hilltop neighbors happy with abandoned car removal

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Abandoned cars are causing problems for residents in several neighborhoods around the city, with both police and neighbors worrying the cars can lead to crime.

The Columbus Division of Police has finished the first part of an effort to get these cars off the streets as part of Operation Broken Windows.

The effort started earlier this month after police received thousands of complaints about the cars last year.

So far, more than 100 cars have been towed, with many of them still being held at the city’s impound lot.

The effort has led to more open parking spaces in the Hilltop section of the city, with neighbors saying the cars had been abandoned for up to a few years.

“They got a lot of vehicles off the street, but there’s still many, many more in our area that need removed from the streets,” said Columbus resident Lisa Boggs.

Boggs has lived in Hilltop for 37 years and cares deeply about her neighborhood. She was excited when the department first announced Operation Broken Windows and calls the first part of the crackdown on abandoned cars a good start.

“Keeps our neighborhoods cleaner, safer,” she said. “I’ve heard of people saying already that they’re able to get through their street easier, especially on two-way streets.”

Earlier in February, officers identified abandoned cars in Hilltop. Owners were given at least a week’s notice to take care of the vehicles. If nothing was done, the cars were towed away.

“All of these things are quality-of-life issues that could again potentially end up in criminal issues and that affects neighborhoods greatly and we got to get those cars out of there,” said Columbus Division of Police Sgt. James Fuqua.

Fuqua said 105 cars, all from the Hilltop neighborhood, were taken to the impound lot. Of those, 65 of them are still there.

“That just shows you in that small, concentrated area we did, if there are 105 cars just in that small area, just think of the entire city, how many junk or abandoned cars are still out there,” he said.

Police conducted the operation in Hilltop first because that was where most of the complaints originated.

Fuqua said the plan is to go to other neighborhoods next, but that doesn’t mean police won’t be back in Hilltop.