Towed Over: April 2013

There is an older story that caught my eye recently for a number of reasons. On the surface it seemed very plain. A heavy snow hit the Midwest city of Cedar Rapids making it very easy for the police to see which cars had been moved and which were giant, unmoved snow paperweights.

What happened next caught my attention. The police announced that everyone whose car was still sitting there had 48 hours to get them moved or be responsible for a $150 tow. This was a great way to handle a difficult situation.

Having the police stress the fact that they are enforcing laws takes pressure off the towers who are often sent out to a hostile public

The idea of an additional grace period instead of the immediate start of a towing blitz showed fairness and compassion to the public

Finally the $150 fee was high but was reasonable considering the cost involved to tow a vehicle.

Basically a difficult environment that towing professionals face was managed in a way that helped mitigate conflict. Towing vehicles are part of police enforcement and the public should see it this way. It is also the job of the municipal government to ensure that fees are reasonable and to take responsibility for them

The management of the situation was a terrific benchmark of cooperation between the city government, the public, and the tow professional.

http://thegazette.com/2013/03/07/cedar-rapids-to-begin-towing-street-stored-vehicles-monday/

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