If Kansas City wants to end predatory towing, it should enforce rules already in place | Opinion

We find it encouraging that Kansas City leaders are preparing to crack down on predatory towing — while all the rage, these illegal acts are nothing new here in the metropolitan area. This city has laws already on the books that govern tow truck companies and their drivers for a reason.

But the towing industry here has taken center stage since local prosecutors charged a Kansas City man and his mother with a slew of felony charges related to unauthorized towing.

And now, Mayor Quinton Lucas and Fifth District at-Large Councilman Darrell Curls want to beef up the penalties to combat illegal towing practices. Not to ask the obvious question, but what took so long?

We’ve seen this reactive approach to governing before with the street racing and sideshow phenomenon that literally took over Kansas City roadways. To its credit, the city cracked down hard on this highly dangerous activity by enacting ordinances aimed at curbing these drag racing events. But implementing policies after the deed has been done is simply not a good way to govern.

If Kansas City really wanted to stop predatory towing here, it would simply enforce the rules it already has in place for non-consent towing. If tow truck companies feared losing their license to operate, illegal towing would cease to a minimum. Instead, these companies have seemingly run afoul of the law with impunity.

For far too long, we’ve heard horror stories from people who claim their vehicles were illegally towed from private parking lots in the River Market area, the Crossroads and many other parts of the city. It shouldn’t take authorities zeroing in on a mom-and-pop — or son, in this instance — operation to beef up penalties for unscrupulous tow truck companies.

But any new legislation that would curb this practice is welcome.

Tow company owner, mother charged

When Jackson County prosecutors announced 18 felony charges against Metro Tow and Transport owner Donald Adamson and his mother Lannette Adamson, a flurry of activity within City Hall and the Kansas City Police Department followed.

In case you missed it, on April 15, Donald and Lannette were each charged with four counts of stealing, four counts of forgery, and one count of first-degree harassment, according to The Star. Both were also accused of falsifying documents and charging people exorbitant fees to retrieve their vehicle, which is illegal.

In the aftermath of these charges against the Adamsons — the pair are also in hot water in Platte County — KC police set up a predatory towing hotline.

As of this week, property crimes detectives have received well over 100 email messages and phone calls regarding illegal tows, Kansas City police officials told us. No arrests have been made since the hotline started, but that doesn’t mean any aren’t forthcoming, according to police.

“In the short time it has been in operation we have not submitted any cases yet stemming from a complaint to the email, but we have for sure opened many investigations that could potentially lead to charges,” Kansas City Police Sgt. Jake Becchina wrote in an email.

New towing legislation coming

Lucas and Curls announced plans to combat predatory towing practices here.

“For too long, Kansas City residents have been victimized by aggressive towing operations that have drained their wallets and provided little recourse,” Lucas said in a news release.

Curls added: “Predatory towing has been a growing concern in our community. Too many of our residents have fallen victim to unreasonable fees and questionable towing practices.”

These statements only reinforce the notion that city officials have long been aware of illegal towing practices in Kansas City but failed to do anything about it.

The proposed ordinance introduced Thursday at City Hall would:

• Increase penalties to deter unlawful behavior.
• Create additional responsibilities for tow operators.
• Establish new requirements for property owners.

Other important components of the proposal include directing the city manager to create a towed vehicle owner’s bill of rights, and a public education campaign to raise public awareness about what constitutes a lawful tow, expected fee amounts, tow operator obligations and how to report predatory towing.

Also in the ordinance are rules that would direct the city manager to identify software for the purpose of creating a tow reporting system for city departments and KCPD to improve enforcement coordination and monitor compliance.

In a nod to collaboration, the ordinance would direct the city manager to coordinate enforcement with Jackson County, which is in the process of enacting a licensing requirement for tow operators.

According to Lucas and Curls, the ordinance is expected to be discussed at a committee meeting April 29. We encourage residents to speak up in favor of enhanced penalties for towing companies that act illegally.

And the City Council must approve, without delay, any ordinances that would put an end to predatory towing in Kansas City.