News-Press Editorial

We are heartened by the news that Rep. Jim Moran is planning to introduce federal legislation to reign in the rogue, predatory towing companies that are wreaking havoc with the business climate throughout the region. A press conference next Monday announcing the legislative initiative will be attended by City of Falls Church Mayor Dan Gardner as well as Barbara Favola, Jay Fisette and Paul Ferguson from the Arlington County Board.

The behavior of these towing companies continues to be reprehensible by any standard of social decency, even though they claim to operate within the bounds of the law. Still, the companies are being hauled into court in Falls Church this week and Arlington next week for violating local statutes which most political leaders feel lack enough teeth to deter the companies' practices.

In Falls Church, many local citizens and business owners have been outraged by the manner in which the towing companies operate. In one case, two members of the Falls Church City Council were eyewitnesses to the practice by the towers. They place scouts on a parking lot, and the minute someone parks there and goes somewhere besides directly into the establishment owned by the lot, the scout calls the towers from a cell phone. Within two minutes or less, a tow truck swoops in at high speed, and like in a pit stop at a NASCAR event, its occupants jump out and race against time to hook up the violating car and disappear with it around a corner as fast as possible.

The car owner is not afforded time to be warned by a merchant to move the car. But that's the idea. Often, bewildered car owners return within just minutes to find their car gone.

Slaps on the wrist to these towing companies so far come in the form of charges for violating local statutes by failing to contact local police prior to towing a vehicle (they call afterwards), or by charging more than the City limit for having the car released (they usually claim the right to an "administrative fee" above the City-mandated limit). But the fines for these infractions are so minimal that it remains cost effective for the towing companies to keep at it.

So far, too many local business and property owners fail to appreciate the chilling effect this practice has on their own interests. While they continue to sanction it as a thriving practice on their lots, the most common testimonial from victims of the practice is that they "will never return to this place of business again."

It would be nice if a more neighborly approach to parking formed the solution to this problem. But lacking that for the time being, we hail the plans of Rep. Moran to step up to the bat on this, and encourage him to hit a home run, driving predatory towing practices far out of the yard.