Getting the Impound Release Form When You Lack the Proper Credentials

Most of our clients keep their vehicle registration and insurance card in the glove box of their car. To compound matters, the key to their residence is typically located on the same key ring as their vehicle’s ignition key. Unfortunately, upon your release from the Pinellas County Jail, all of these items will likely be in the custody and control of the towing company. To add insult to injury, under Florida law, the arresting officer was required to seize your driver’s license if you had an unlawful breath alcohol level or you refused to submit to Intoxilyzer testing. In many cases, a driver’s license may be the only state issued photo ID that the motorist possessed. So, if you are the registered owner of the vehicle, but lack these necessary credentials, what can you do to secure the all-important “Impound Release Form?”

We recommend visiting the arresting law enforcement agency. Be certain to take with you any and all documents associated with your arrest. You should also possess the proper attitude. Calmly explain the dilemma you currently find yourself in. If you are polite and respectful, the police officer “may” work with you by accessing and printing your online booking photo from the jail records to confirm your identity. He can likewise retrieve your registration and vehicle title information from “DAVID,” which is Florida’s electronic “Driver and Vehicle Information Database.” Armed with this confirming information, many police officers are willing to then issue the Impound Release Form. On other occasions, a disgruntled police officer may require you to make a round trip to the impound lot to secure and return with the vehicle’s registration document.