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'Borderline illegal': Courtesy tows remain Philly's persistent parking nightmare
https://www.inquirer.com/news/towing-philadelphia-parking-authority-nightmare-20210319.htmlA Philadelphia courtesy tow — formally known as relocation towing — is when the Police Department, the PPA, or a private tow company moves legally parked vehicles to make room for a special event, utility work, or some other reason. The city’s failure to properly track the relocated vehicles has been a longtime problem — and one that could actually be getting worse, based on Inquirer interviews with dozens of drivers.
In Philadelphia, when the police, PPA, or a private company performs a courtesy tow, it is supposed to relay the new location of each vehicle to police headquarters, so when owners find the car missing and call 911, police can tell them where it is.
It often doesn’t work that way. Drivers have reported spending days or weeks searching for their cars — sometimes tracking them down a mile or more away — because neither the PPA nor police has any information about the tow. Many of these tows are recorded by police with a pre-internet system that relies mostly on handwritten notes and fax machines.
A botched courtesy tow can involve several government agencies. In interviews with The Inquirer, city officials seemed unaware of how widespread the problem is and who or what is to blame.
In Philadelphia, when the police, PPA, or a private company performs a courtesy tow, it is supposed to relay the new location of each vehicle to police headquarters, so when owners find the car missing and call 911, police can tell them where it is.
It often doesn’t work that way. Drivers have reported spending days or weeks searching for their cars — sometimes tracking them down a mile or more away — because neither the PPA nor police has any information about the tow. Many of these tows are recorded by police with a pre-internet system that relies mostly on handwritten notes and fax machines.
A botched courtesy tow can involve several government agencies. In interviews with The Inquirer, city officials seemed unaware of how widespread the problem is and who or what is to blame.