15-001 Stations/Units and Tow Companies
STATIONS/UNITS AND TOW COMPANIES
BACKGROUND
The purpose of this directive is to establish a policy that ensures equitable distribution of tow requests from tow companies and fosters the best possible service for all stations. Relationships with respective tow companies and their drivers shall remain professional at all times.
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
For standard sized vehicles, station/unit desk personnel shall contact each Department approved tow company, in a regular alternating rotation. The job will be assigned to the next tow company in the rotation as long as that tow company can respond within a reasonable amount of time (twenty minutes or less). A prompt response is necessary to prevent an unnecessary delay to patrol personnel waiting for the tow services. If the company cannot ensure a twenty minute response time, the name of their representative shall be logged on the Station/Unit Tow Log and the next company in the rotation shall be contacted.
For large, heavyweight vehicles, station/unit desk personnel shall contact tow companies in the same manner as for standard sized vehicles (as outlined above). However, if neither tow company is able to fulfill the request, an alternate tow company can be requested by desk personnel and/or Sheriff’s Communication Center (SCC). This shall be documented by the watch deputy on the Station/Unit Tow Log.
If a tow company accepts the tow assignment and fails to respond within twenty minutes, desk personnel may cancel the tow assignment and reassign the job to the next tow company. In these cases, desk personnel shall log the time the tow company accepted the assignment and the time it was canceled on the Station/Unit Tow Log.
NOTE: If your station/unit requests tow services based on geographical areas (not rotational), then your procedures shall be documented as such and a Station/Unit Tow Log shall still be maintained. All other procedures shall be adhered to in this directive.
All tow requests SHALL be made through the station/unit desk. Field personnel SHALL NOT make direct telephonic requests to an individual tow company and/or tow truck driver.
A Station/Unit Tow Log shall be maintained by the AM Shift Watch Deputy with weekly and quarterly summary reports submitted to the operations office by the watch deputy. The weekly report shall be submitted on Tuesday mornings. The station captain shall review the Station/Unit Tow Log monthly.
The weekly and quarterly reports will summarize the documented activity on the Station/Unit Tow Log. It shall contain, at minimum, the following information:
- Date and time of request;
- Person or unit requesting the tow service;
- Location of the tow;
- Name of the tow company; and
- Tag number.
The name of the tow company and the employee contacted shall be logged even if the tow company is unable to handle the request or respond within the designated time guidelines.
If a call for service is canceled for any reason, the log should reflect the reason for the cancellation; e.g., “tow service no longer required” or “unreasonable delay - 30 minutes.”
NOTE: For units that do not have their own “desk,” requests for tow services shall be made through the Sheriff’s Communication Center (SCC), with the exception of the Task Force for Regional Auto Theft Prevention (TRAP).
DONATIONS
Sheriff’s Department personnel shall not accept any gratuity, gift, and/or any favors from tow companies and/or tow truck drivers. Furthermore, stations, bureaus, units, or facilities shall not accept any donations of any kind from tow truck companies, or any owner or employee thereof, for any special event, including, but not limited to, Baker to Vegas, holiday parties, DUI checkpoints, BBQ fundraising events, or Booster Clubs. Tow truck companies may make donations to Department-affiliated charitable organizations intended for the benefit of the community, such as the Sheriff's Youth Foundation. Any donation to a Department-affiliated nonprofit organization must be reported and approved by the Sheriff or his designee
NOTIFYING TOW COMPANIES
All concerned division chiefs shall notify their tow companies, via certified letter, of the above protocols and policy changes by December 31, 2015
LIST OF TOW SERVICES
A current list of all tow companies that serve your station/unit shall be kept in the operations’ office, the watch commander’s office, and the front desk. The list shall include the name of the tow company, the name of owner/contact person, address, and phone number
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