Butler police said they are making progress in their effort to address abandoned and disabled vehicles parked on city streets.

So far this year, 217 reports of disabled or abandoned vehicles were made from calls for service or from officer encounters, said Butler Police Chief Bob O'Neill.

Some of those reports were about the same vehicles, but 101 of the reports needed police attention, he said. The owners of all the vehicles were contacted in person, by phone or by mail resulting in most of the vehicles being removed by the owners or towed by a salvor, O'Neill said. About 10 cases have not been resolved, including one case involving about 20 vehicles, he said.

“Abandoned vehicles have become a priority as they are an eyesore, unsafe, and most of the time taking up valuable parking needed by residents. We also want to remove the vehicles to assist in the ongoing leaf and snow removal from the city streets,” O'Neill said.

People who own abandoned vehicles should remove them to avoid the cost of fines and towing, he said. It takes about a month for the city to tow a vehicle once it has been reported abandoned, he added.