Motorists who flee or try to flee from Oswego police officers will now have to pay a $750 administrative fee.

At the March 3 Oswego Village Board meeting, village trustees unanimously approved an ordinance assessing a $750 administrative fee to the registered owner of any vehicle that flees or attempts to flee from an Oswego police officer.

Oswego Police Chief Jason Bastin had recommended the village enact the fee to improve roadway safety. The $750 fee is based on the cost the police department incurs to investigate these cases.

“Even if we don’t chase someone, if they take off and they’re driving in an unsafe manner after they do that, it’s not safe on the roadways,” Bastin said after the meeting. “So that’s the goal. It’s just to increase roadway safety.”

There have been 26 violators in the last five years, Bastin told village trustees. Only three of the violators were Oswego residents.

Bastin noted the police department has a restrictive pursuit policy to ensure the safety of the public.

“Even though it means offenders get away, we are also not putting the public in danger by participating in a pursuit,” he had told village trustees. “And a lot of times when we initiate a pursuit, the offender drives pretty recklessly, causing a danger to the public.”

The administrative fee would be on top of criminal charges against the offender, Bastin said.

“And hopefully that would deter that behavior,” he said.

Other municipalities are also enacting such ordinances. Plainfield village trustees on Dec. 15 unanimously approved an ordinance assessing a $500 administrative fee to the registered owner of any vehicle that flees or attempts to flee from a Plainfield police officer.

Like Oswego’s new fine, the $500 fee is based on the average cost the police department incurs to investigate these cases.

“It’s not intended to be a penalty or a revenue generator,” Plainfield Police Commander Zach Zigterman had told village trustees. “It’s only an attempting to recover a portion of the resources that are expended in connection with that criminal activity.”