Expanded towing hours, in-county storage locations, better enforcement of towing licenses and increased towing charges are just a few of the issues expected to come before the first meeting of the Prince George’s County Towing Task force tonight.
There are 125 active, licensed towing companies in Prince George’s County. The task force was created in April to review and evaluate towing regulations and recommend changes. The panel includes nine citizens, representatives from several departments including the county police and one representative from the county’s towing industry.
The head of Henry’s Wrecker Service, which has two locations and almost 60 trucks working in Prince George’s, said the group is muchneeded in a county where a number of regulations are outdated.
“I’m trying to hold everybody to a better standard,” said Fred Scheler, the service’s CEO. “But, in turn, I want to get paid a fair price for doing the service.”
Scheler said his company loses money charging $100 a tow, especially for calls at apartment complexes where illegally parked cars may be gone by the time a tow truck arrives. The company has also experienced delays of several hours between reporting towed cars to police and police registering the information in their system. Scheler said the company has also had several tow trucks stolen, including one that was then used to steal a car.
“Nobody stops to look at a tow truck,” Scheler said of the November theft. “They don’t think twice about it.”
An official with the Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington said a member will bring owners and tenants concerns to the task force.
“Parking lots are primarily for our residential and commercial tenants and, within reasonable limits, their invitees,” said Shaun Pharr, senior vice president for government affairs with the association. “Towing of unauthorized vehicles is just a necessary fact of life for our members.”
