2008 Woodie Awards
Towing laws don't curtail residents' complaints
Kevin Robillard
Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: News
Laws the Prince George's County Council passed to stop predatory, aggressive and illegal towing haven't solved the problem, a county councilman said.
College Park residents say private towing companies in the area have broken a slew of towing laws, many of which passed in 2005 and some as recently as last fall.
Tom Dernoga, a county councilman whose district includes part of College Park, said the county needs to strengthen these laws as disputes between residents and towing companies continue to break out.
But he added that part of the problem is that laws simply need to be enforced.
"It's one of those things we need to put some teeth into," Dernoga said.
An extreme example of a dispute between towers and residents broke out the night of March 26 on Berwyn House Road. About 20 students and other residents of the Lakeland Park Condos protested what they said were illegal towing practices, using couches and chairs to form a barricade designed to prevent towing companies from entering the parking lot outside their building.
The residents accused K&D Towing of not accepting credit cards, towing cars that had permits and offering to hire one of them as a spotter, all of which are illegal in the county under the laws. They also said the drivers for the company behaved in a threatening manner.
Attempts to reach K&D were unsuccessful. But Andy Miller, a senior vice president at Abaris Realty, which manages the property for the condo association, dismissed claims of predatory towing.
Much of the illegal behavior students pointed to was banned in a bill passed in 2005 after thousands of county residents complained about towing companies at public hearings, but the fixes don't appear to have been enough, partially due to spotty enforcement.
"It's clearly still a problem," said Dernoga.
"They need to enforce the laws that are on the books," said Fred Scheler, CEO of Henry's Wrecker Service. "They don't need to make new laws. But the county will wait until it blows up in their face and then overreact."
College Park residents say private towing companies in the area have broken a slew of towing laws, many of which passed in 2005 and some as recently as last fall.
Tom Dernoga, a county councilman whose district includes part of College Park, said the county needs to strengthen these laws as disputes between residents and towing companies continue to break out.
But he added that part of the problem is that laws simply need to be enforced.
"It's one of those things we need to put some teeth into," Dernoga said.
An extreme example of a dispute between towers and residents broke out the night of March 26 on Berwyn House Road. About 20 students and other residents of the Lakeland Park Condos protested what they said were illegal towing practices, using couches and chairs to form a barricade designed to prevent towing companies from entering the parking lot outside their building.
The residents accused K&D Towing of not accepting credit cards, towing cars that had permits and offering to hire one of them as a spotter, all of which are illegal in the county under the laws. They also said the drivers for the company behaved in a threatening manner.
Attempts to reach K&D were unsuccessful. But Andy Miller, a senior vice president at Abaris Realty, which manages the property for the condo association, dismissed claims of predatory towing.
Much of the illegal behavior students pointed to was banned in a bill passed in 2005 after thousands of county residents complained about towing companies at public hearings, but the fixes don't appear to have been enough, partially due to spotty enforcement.
"It's clearly still a problem," said Dernoga.
"They need to enforce the laws that are on the books," said Fred Scheler, CEO of Henry's Wrecker Service. "They don't need to make new laws. But the county will wait until it blows up in their face and then overreact."
Submit a letter to the editor or post a comment below.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 4
Christopher Conroy
posted 4/04/08 @ 1:38 PM EST
I know absolutely zilch about towing regulations.
However, it would appear to me that if an unlicensed tow truck operator tows your car, then he is taking your property illegally. (Continued…)
Ed Gomez
posted 4/04/08 @ 2:58 PM EST
Um, Dernoga parked in a lot that said "Lupo's Customers Only". He went somewhere else, and his car was towed "rather aggressively"? It seems to me his car was towed because it was parked illegally. (Continued…)
Bust a cap
posted 4/07/08 @ 5:16 AM EST
It's all gravy...if one of these muthaf...ers trys to jack my ride, I will but a cap in his ass with my .40
Post a Comment