(A) An officer of the Police Department must first issue a parking citation. No motor vehicle is to be towed without a citation.
(B) A reasonable attempt shall be made to contact the owner of the motor vehicle for removal. Normal database sources will be used to locate the owner of the motor vehicle, for example, phone book, city/county directory, CMI and LEADS.
(C) If the owner of the motor vehicle cannot be contacted, a towing service shall be contacted for the removal of the motor vehicle and the following procedure shall apply.
(1) The officer authorizing the tow will be responsible for making/arranging verbal notification to the owner.
(2) The Police Chief will determine how many unsuccessful attempts to contact the owner of the motor vehicle to be towed constitutes a reasonable attempt to locate. All attempts shall be logged accordingly.
(3) If a motor vehicle owner is not located prior to the completion of the towing officer’s shift, paperwork related to the tow will be copied and forwarded to the following shift for follow-up attempts to contact.
(4) If further attempts to locate the owner of the motor vehicle are unsuccessful within an eight-hour shift, paperwork will be transferred to the Police Chief who will send a certified letter to the registered owner of the motor vehicle at the owner’s last known address.
(D) On tows at which the owner of the motor vehicle being towed is present, the tow shall be logged accordingly.
(E) The contents of the motor vehicle being towed shall be inventoried.
(F) Information on the motor vehicle being towed, including make, model, license plate information and registration number shall be obtained. Confirmation shall be made when the vehicle identification number (VIN) of the motor vehicle being towed matches the VIN on the motor vehicle’s registration.
(Res. 00-24, passed 2-13-2001)