R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-42-2: Authority to take possession of abandoned motor vehicles and abandoned motor vehicles of no value.

(a) A police department may, upon completion of a vehicle survey report, take into custody any motor vehicle found abandoned on public or private property. A police department may employ its own personnel, equipment, and facilities or authorize persons, equipment, and facilities for the purpose of removing, preserving and storing abandoned motor vehicles.

(b) The police shall post or attach to the vehicle, forty-eight (48) hours prior to towing, a notification of an abandoned vehicle indicating the vehicle will be towed.