HAMMOND | A weeklong sweep for out-of-state vehicle registrations at city apartment buildings has resulted in 321 citations written and 149 vehicles towed, police said.

Parking lots at complexes from Robertsdale to Hessville were visited by Traffic Division officers, including the Kennedy Crossing, McLaughlin, Douglas Pointe, Tanglewood and Kenwood apartments, and the Turner Park and Sheffield estates. The sweep ended Monday morning.

Indiana law requires new residents to obtain a state driver's license, and Indiana titles and license plates for their vehicles, within 60 days of settling in the state.

Violators of these "reciprocity" statutes receive notice of a mandatory court appearance, and their vehicles are impounded.

In addition to the reciprocity citations, another 34 tickets were written for other violations, and one vehicle which had been reported stolen was recovered, and its driver arrested for probable-cause auto theft, said Lt. Patrick Vicari, Traffic Division supervisor.

Registration violations are a priority for the department, said Vicari, and similar enforcement actions will resume in January.

Residents regularly report vehicles with illegal out-of-state registrations to police, Vicari said, and his officers welcome every complaint, even though building a case can take some time.

To report suspected violators, residents should call Lt. Michael Jorden at (219) 852-6328 or (219) 852-2911 with as much information as possible about the vehicle and its location.