There is bad news, and a little good news, for Porter County residents who have junk cars on their property.

The bad news is the Porter County Sheriff's Department is cracking down on old, inoperable cars in all unincorporated parts of the county.

The good news is that auto salvage companies are paying hundreds of dollars for cars and will even tow them. An employee at L & W Auto Salvage in Valparaiso said the company pays $100 to $500 for most vehicles.

Porter County police Lt. Chris Eckert announced the crackdown this past week. He said police are asking the public to report the location of any junk vehicles they see.

Indiana law defines a junk vehicle as one that is at least three years old, mechanically inoperable and left on private property continuously in a place that's visible from public property for more than 20 days.

If somebody reports a junk vehicle, an officer will be assigned to investigate. Eckert said if officers have no luck in getting the owners to take care of the cars, they will be tagged for removal and then towed. He said people would be better off to sell such cars to an auto salvage company.

Eckert said police did a sweeping crackdown a few years ago and continue to enforce the law periodically as the problem resurfaces. The crackdown is only in areas of the county not served by a town or city police department, although town and city police departments also investigate complaints.

Anyone who wants to report a junk car is asked to call Porter County police at (219) 477-3000.