Pubdate: 1 Mar 1999 Source: United Press International Copyright: 1999 United Press International NATIONAL INTEREST IN NYC CAR SEIZURES (NEW YORK) - The New York Police Department has started seizing the cars of suspected drunken drivers, and officials from more than a half dozen American cities and several countries have been calling the mayor's office to find out more. N-Y-P-D spokeswoman Marilyn Mode says even drivers acquitted of drunken driving in criminal court could lose their cars in civil court under the new policy. She said the closest analogy is the O-J Simpson case. The department has seized roughly 30 vehicles since the crackdown started last week. The New York Civil Liberties Union has already demanded the return of one of the cars, setting the stage for a civil court battle that will determine whether the mayor has overstepped his bounds by using the city's administrative code to justify the seizures. N-Y-C-L-U Executive Director Normal Siegal says the punishment for drunken driving must be determined by the state legislature, not local ordinances. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani calls the seizures remedial, and city lawyers say the policy will withstand a court challenge. An unnamed police official tells the New York Times the majority of the 18- hundred cars seized last year under city ordinances for drug, prostitution and driving without a license cases were sold back to their owners by the city at the market resale value. In almost all other cases, the drivers surrendered their cars, avoiding a potentially costly and protracted legal battle. The official said less than 1 percent of car seizures end up in civil court. - --- MAP posted-by: Mike Gogulski