(a) The Chief of Police shall ensure that wreckers are called to the scene of an accident on a rotational basis, distributing the calls on an equitable basis from the towing rotation list. The towing list will be composed of the approved applicants under this policy. The Chief of Police or his or her designee shall not call or cause to be called any wrecker not having executed an agreement with the town unless he or she declares that an emergency exists and that all other wreckers are unavailable. In addition, the following specifically regulates the operations, as to tows, by the Police Department. Police and accident investigations personnel will ascertain from each owner or operator of the vehicle if he or she desires any particular towing firm. The officer will dispatch the wrecker of the owner’s or operator’s choice, provided the wrecker driver did not “chase” the accident, is not at the scene and did not solicit the business from the street or highway. Wreckers at the scene will not be permitted to pull a wrecked vehicle unless the officer determines that an emergency exists, a person is trapped in a vehicle, or traffic congestion is such that requires immediate service.
(b) If the owner or operator of the vehicle does not request a particular towing firm, then the officer will have the police dispatcher call the next wrecker service on the rotation list.
(c) The Chief of Police may remove the name of a towing firm from the rotation list for violations of this article, for failure to comply with any provision hereof, for any fraudulent information made in the application or agreement or a violation of state statutes or town ordinances, for a lack of cooperation while rendering service or for other justifiable causes.
(Ord. passed 6-5-1991)