NILES, Ohio (WKBN) – If you live in Niles and you’ve been holding on to some car parts, a project car you don’t have time to work on or grandpa’s rust bucket, it might be time to let go. The Niles Police Department is cracking down on junk vehicles in the city.

Niles Officer Shawn Crank declared on Facebook that it is Junk Vehicle Week. Officers have been tagging cars for violations such as junk/unlicensed vehicles and parking in front lawns. They have already orange-tagged 116 vehicles at 84 locations across the city.

According to Officer Crank, over the last two days, he has covered the majority of the fourth (southside/west end) and third (east end) wards and will be moving on to the rest of the city of Niles.

“The problem’s a lot more severe than I had thought it was going to be,” Officer Crank said.

Most days this week, Officer Crank is jumping into his cruiser and heading out with a stack of orange slips, where he tags cars and parts that are unlicensed or inoperable.

“Driving around town, I’ve noticed there’s a lot more than I thought there was. We’re really starting to write several of them. It’s been quite, quite a task,” Officer Crank said.

The tag is a warning that gives you 10 days to get rid of the car, store it in a garage or get it running, or you’ll face a court summons or impoundment on day 11. After those 10 days, it’s a fourth-degree misdemeanor and a maximum $250 fine. Penalties increase for multiple offenses.

“I found animals living inside them — cats, raccoons have jumped out at us. A lot of pickup trucks with red liners have water in them, breeds mosquitoes and things like that. Grass growing up around them, just overall blight is ruining the property values in the city,” Officer Crank said.

Officer Crank has gotten through about half the city and plans to finish his project in the next few weeks. His advice in the meantime?

“There’s plenty of businesses around here, scrap yards that will come and they’ll pick your car up for you,” he said.

If you have a complaint in your neighborhood, you can email Scrank@thecityofniles.com.