SR - AGR-4710.B - POLICE TOWING AND STORAGE SERVICE AGREEMENT1. SUBJECT
Official Police Towing and Storage Service Agreement
2. SUMMARY
The Orange Police Department utilizes private towing companies for the removal, storage and
impounding of vehicles during the course of business.
The agreement with the current tow companies expired on March 28, 2016. Since that date, the
current towing and storage providers utilized by the Police Department agreed to continue
operating without interruption under the terms and guidelines of the expired contract. This
allowed the City to explore alternatives for towing and storage services. At the conclusion of
those studies, the Police Department began the RFP process for contracts with local tow
companies.
The Orange Police Department recommends the following tow companies: California Coach,
Tows R Russ, Archie's Towing, and Southside Towing. These four tow companies meet the
requirements as outlined and set forth in the RFP. It is the recommendation of the Police
Department to award these four companies with three (3) year agreements with a possible
extension of two (2) years.
Two of the applicants, Authentic Brothers Towing and Hadley Towing do not meet the minimum
requirements and are not recommended by the Police Department.
13. RECOMMENDATION
1. Authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute agreements between the City and
California Coach, Tows R Russ, Archie's Towing and Southside Towing effective
August 1, 2016, on behalf of the City.
2. Approve accompanying Fee Schedule, effective August 1, 2016.
4. FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact for services provided for non -City owned vehicles.
5. STRATEGIC PLAN
la. Provide for a Safe Community Provide staffing and resources to deliver services that
ensure public safety.
6. GENERAL PLAN IMPLEMENTATION
Public Safety Goal 6.0 Provide public safety services of the highest quality.
Policy 6.1: Provide the Police Department with adequate personnel, equipment and state -of the
art- technology to effectively combat crime, meet existing and projected service demands, and
provide crime prevention programs. These resources should be provided prior to anticipated
needs.
7. DISCUSSION and BACKGROUND
The responsibility of the City and Police Department to provide for the safety of the public, and
to ensure smooth traffic flow, often requires the removal of vehicles from the roadway via towing
service. During the normal course of business, the Police Department responds to numerous
traffic collisions and disabled or abandoned vehicles, where removal is necessary. The Police
Department is also authorized to remove certain vehicles from the roadway and off - street parking
facilities pursuant to provisions of the California Vehicle Code. These services are provided
through contract with independent towing companies licensed to conduct business in the City.
The Official Police Tow and Storage Services (OPTS) contract expired March 28, 2014;
however, it was contractually agreed upon to add a two -year extension until March 28, 2016.
The proposed contract will be active August 1, 2016 through August 1, 2019. The RFP (Request
for Proposal) was prepared and released by Purchasing. As a result, we received six Proposals
(RFP 156 -32) to consider for recommendation.
Five of the existing tow companies who are currently towing for the Police Department
submitted proposals, which included California Coach, Tows R Russ, Archie's Towing,
Southside Towing, and Authentic Brothers. The sixth proposal was from Hadley Towing.
Hadley Towing had been awarded a tow contract in 2008 and was suspended in 2010 for three
years, due to multiple violations of the Orange Police Department Towing and Storage
Agreement.
The Police Department's objective was to visit each location and conduct unannounced on -site
inspections. Our goal was to evaluate each company and provide the Mayor and City Council
with our recommendations.
A committee was formed with four raters, who were veteran Police Department employees.
They are all familiar with tow company practices. One of the raters, Motor Corporal Officer Jeff.
Gray, is the Department's Tow Officer. He is responsible for managing the tow contracts and
investigating tow complaints.
ITEM 2 7/12/16
The committee conducted unannounced on -site inspections. Each rater independently evaluated
the tow companies according to the requirements and standards set forth in the Request for
Proposal (RFP) and OPD Policy 504. The scores were compiled and averaged. The following
criteria were included in the Request for Proposal and assisted the committee in determining the
qualifications of the applicants.
• Service Requirements: The Company must abide by the requirements set forth
under Department Policy. Those requirements include, but are not limited to; 24-
hour /7 -day availability; 20- minute response time; live dispatch; approved rate
schedule; valid City of Orange business license; security practices; open for
inspection at any time during business hours.
• Facility and Equipment Requirements: On -site office for billing and vehicle
release; regular 8:00 am — 5:00 pm business hours; storage capacity for 100
vehicles; approved fencing; secure storage area for evidence. Light and Medium -
duty tow trucks are required; Heavy -duty trucks are recommended, but not
required.
• Qualification of Personnel Experience of employees and management in towing
procedure; qualifications of office staff to ensure proper vehicle tracking, billing
and recordkeeping; longevity of tow drivers is part of these criteria.
• Prior Experience: Years in business; experience type; years of service in police
towing and storage.
• Accident and Damage Claims History Self- explanatory.
• References: Other law enforcement agencies; bank and personal references.
Below is a list of tow truck companies and the results:
1.
California Coach
98%
2.
Tows R Russ
97%
3.
Archie's Towing
92%
4.
Southside Towing
87%
5.
Authentic Towing
71%
6.
Hadley Towing
62%
Refer to Attachment "A" for the summary of the tow company evaluations.
The Police Department operates the tow storage requests via a computer aided rotation system,
which automatically selects the next tow company in the rotation. Each of the existing five tow
companies is part of the rotation. Over the first five months of 2016, an average of 179 vehicles
have been towed per month, which equates to approximately 35 tows per month for each tow
company.
ITEM 3 7/12/16
A review of police agencies in Orange County was conducted to assess the number of tow
providers per City. Newport Beach (87,000 population), Costa Mesa (113,000 population), and
Fullerton (141,000 population) each have two tow providers. Garden Grove (175,000
population), Santa Ana (335,000 population), and Anaheim (351,000 population) each have four
tow providers. As such it is recommended that the Orange Police Department reduce the number
of tow operators to four to be consistent with other cities in the county.
Based upon the evaluation results, the Orange Police Department recommends the following tow
companies: California Coach, Tows R Russ, Archie's Towing, and Southside Towing. These
four tow companies meet the requirements as outlined and set forth in the RFP to provide tow
services. It is the recommendation of the Police Department to award these four companies with
three (3) year agreements with a possible extension of two (2) years. The four recommended tow
companies will adequately serve the needs of the Police Department.
There are two tow companies the Police Department is not recommending. They are Authentic
Brothers and Hadley Towing. On January 25, 2011, Authentic Brothers was awarded a tow
contract. The Police Department initially opposed a contract with Authentic Brothers as they did
not meet the requirements within that RFP related to the size of the storage yard. However, an
exception was made and they were awarded a contract.
Authentic Brothers' current yard still does not meet the specifications outlined in the most recent
RFP. There still remains a concern over the lack of space to store vehicles. The lot storage
capacity is 48 vehicles and does not meet the minimum requirements of 100. Due to their small
lot size, they often stop their tow trucks in the traffic lane on Parker Street causing an unsafe
condition of the business while conducting their activities.
In addition to our safety concerns with their lot size, an inspection in 2016 by C.H.P. discovered
that 6 of the 9 trucks were unsafe. Authentic Brothers has indicated that the safety issues had
been fixed; however, they have not had their problem vehicles re- inspected at the time of this
writing.
The storage of vehicles for evidence in criminal cases is critical to the successful prosecution,
integrity, and thoroughness of police investigations. Upon inspection of the evidence storage
area for Authentic Brothers we found the evidence gate was left open and unsecured. The
employees indicated they needed the gate open to access the evidence area to retrieve batteries
for roadside assistance. There were stacks of car batteries located along the south wall labeled
AAA. Although there were no police impounded vehicles inside the enclosure at the time of our
inspection, it must be maintained in a constant state of readiness. Their practices call into
question their ability to maintain the security and integrity of evidence. For the reasons of lack of
storage space, public safety and evidence storage readiness, the Police Department does not
recommend Authentic Brothers Towing.
The Police Department does not recommend Hadley Towing. On July 8, 2008, Hadley Tow was
awarded a tow contract with the City and was part of the tow rotation for the Police Department.
On November 22, 2010, an investigation into numerous violations of the Orange Police Towing
and Storage Agreement and Department Policy was completed by the Police Department. The
outcome of the investigation resulted in Hadley Towing Company being terminated from the
ITEM 4 7/12/16
Orange Police Towing and Storage Agreement. Hadley Towing was not allowed to reapply for
rotational tow for a period of three years.
Hadley Towing ranked last out of the six tow companies in the evaluation process. It was
difficult to evaluate the services, facility, equipment, and personnel due to the current status of
the business as their yard is not ready to operate. When questioned as to the readiness, the on-
site representative stated they were not making improvements in order to meet the minimum
requirements until a contract was awarded.
The Police Department has similar concerns with Hadley Towing as with Authentic Brothers.
The lot storage capacity is 86 and does not meet the minimum requirements of 100. The
evidence holding area had two large glass windows located along the east wall, which faced
Parker St. The windows could easily be broken, allowing for possible evidence contamination
and or theft. In addition, this area was used as a main walkway so the employees could access
the tow yard from the office. There was no other route to the tow yard, without going around the
outside of the building. The evidence area had an aluminum door, which did not have a locking
mechanism and was held open with a string. Hadley Towing lacks the evidence storage area that
is required by the Police Department.
For the reasons of the prior discipline history and no change in ownership, inadequate evidence
storage capabilities, and overall lack of readiness, the Police Department does not recommend
Hadley Towing.
The Official Police Towing and Storage Agreement outlines the equipment, vehicle and
performance requirements for those companies who desire to contract with the City to provide
towing and storage services. The agreement also provides for oversight of the services provided
and fees charged for services, including insurance and indemnification of the City, as well as
provisions for the review and investigation of complaints, and suspension or termination of
individual agreements.
The schedule of rates will remain the same.
8. ATTACHMENTS
• Official Police Towing and Storage Agreement
• Police Department Fee Schedule for Contracted Tow Companies
• Police Department Policy # 504
• Attachments A for summary of the tow company evaluations
ITEM s 7/12/16
CITY COUNCIL MINUTES JULY 12, 2016
7. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS (Continued)
7.3 Official Police Towing and Storage Service Agreement. (A2100.0; Agr- 4710.A,
4714.A, 5707, 5710)
MOTION — Whitaker
SECOND — Murphy
AYES — Alvarez, Whitaker, Smith, Murphy
ABSENT — Nichols
Moved to: 1) Authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute agreements between the City
and California Coach, Tows R Russ, Archie's Towing, and South Side Towing effective
August 1, 2016, on behalf of the City; and 2) Approve accompanying Fee Schedule,
effective August 1, 2016.
8. REPORTS FROM CITY MANAGER
City Manager Otto reported that the City is on track for launching the new City website on
January 1, 2017.
9. LEGAL AFFAIRS — None
10. ITEMS RELATING TO THE SUCCESSOR AGENCY OF THE ORANGE
REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY — None
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