WMPD modifies policy on wrecker services

WMPD modifies policy on wrecker services

City clarifies procedures, trims list of companies it will use for towing

news@theeveningtimes.com

The West Memphis Police Department has announced a new policy regarding what procedures wrecker services should follow and how companies will be contacted in the event of a crash or incapacitated vehicle.

Chief Donald Oakes announced the change to local wrecker companies early last week by letter. By late in the week, a handful of impacted tow operators booked the chief for a hearing or showed up at city council to voice complaints. Wrecks blocking city streets must be moved as always by the wrecker rotation on call shrunk to those services with offices and storage yards already set-up inside the city limits. If the vehicle is not blocking traffic the driver may still personally opt for any wrecker service around and the wrecker rotation policy does create a change for interstate accidents. Other towing operations for private business would not be impacted.

Police see an urgent need to move inoperable vehicles from city streets and the chief drew the wrecker rotation line on top of the city limits boundary. Chief Donald Oakes explained the rationale for the policy change at the October police commission meeting.

“I had to make a change with our wrecker rotation WRECKER

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list,” said Oakes. “The way it works is we keep a wrecker list. Anytime we need to tow a vehicle as part of an arrest or an accident where the road is blocked where we are responsible to get the car moved, we use a rotation. It is a fair rotation, but we started having a lot of problems.”

Oakes said he opted for towing services set up in West Memphis to improve services to city residents.

We had response time problems, because gradually our wrecker services have migrated farther and farther away from the city.”

said Oakes. “When I was young they were right here or just on this side of Highland Park and it wasn’t too bad. Now we have multiple ones north of Marion,” Not only have response times slowed with longer drive times for wreckers but also customer service for those with impounded or stored vehicles has been more and more unsatisfactory for West Memphis citizens. The chief pointed out that when you’ve been in a car crash bad enough to have your vehicle hauled off, you are already having a real bad day. He wanted a more efficient wrecker rotation to avoid compounded the hassles for citizens in an hour of need.

“Say a citizen got their car towed at 10 o’clock at night, and then they’d have to get a ride to go north of Marion to get their car.,” said Oakes. “Then they find the place closed and they have to come home. Then the next day they ride out there to get there car and by then they picked up an additional day of storage fee.

They come to the police department to complain.”

Services and response time drove the chief to limit the wrecker rotation list.

I looked at the rules which are the wrecker rotation is at the discretion of the chief, so I changed it.”

The chief felt the remaining tow operators in the city could well do the job.

“That leaves us with six wreckers for smaller vehicles and four for the larger ones, so I think we are still going to be able to function,” said Oakes. “If we can’t, I will revisit it with some type of geographic distance to encompass some outside if we have to.

But to do that, I’d have to have a businesses need to do that.”

Commissioner Wayne Croom noted a clause that delivered flexibility.

“You have that clause that said you could call additional wreckers if need be,” said Croom. “From a business stand point the new rotation makes sense because we have a lot of revenue leaving our city and it should stay here.”

James Pulliaum thought the city limit for wreckers made financial sense for the city.

“I understand what the chief is saying and to keep it under the chief’s control because when the wrecker doesn’t get there on time you’ve got a lot of traffic tied up,” said Pulliaum.

The chief said the problem had been simmering for years and called it a winwin for city citizens and local wrecker companies.

“This gives me a smaller group that has more at stake because they are getting additional tows,” said Oakes. “We will meet with them with requirements about how they return cars and hours of operation.

The new policy went into effect on Oct. 8, following a one-week wait after the written notice to wrecker companies cut from the current list.

One operator lamented to city council about his 22year relationship with the city coming to an immediate end with no grandfathering consideration. He noted his facility was situated 2,000 feet outside city limits and asked city council for reconsideration of

the new policy.

“ We use a rotation… It is a fair rotation, but we started having a lot of problems.” —

Donald Oakes, West Memphis Chief of Police

By John Rech