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CITY OF GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA
REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA ITEM
Report: Tow Contractor Request for Proposals and restructuring of tow districts.
1.Resolution Adopting the Police Department’s Request for Proposals for Official Police Towing Services (OPTS), Decreasing the Number of Districts and Authorizing the City Clerk to Advertise for Proposals
COUNCIL ACTION
Item Type: Action Item
Approved for February 18, 2025 calendar
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Glendale contracts with independent tow companies to provide official tow and storage services as directed by the Police Department. In 2015, the City issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for tow and storage services and on August 1, 2016, entered into contracts with three tow companies to provide services in three districts. The contracts were for five years with an option for two, two year extensions. The current contracts expire on July 31, 2025.
In anticipation of the expiration of the contracts, the City seeks to release a RFP for Official Police Tow Services for two tow districts.
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RECOMMENDATION
Adopt the Police Department’s Request for Proposals for Official Police Towing Services, decrease the number of districts and authorize the City Clerk to advertise for proposals.
ANALYSIS
An Official Police Tow Services (OPTS) provider for the City of Glendale is required to respond to calls for service from the Police Department to facilitate the efficient removal of vehicles. These calls for service generally consist of the following:
• Roadside assistance or tow services for disabled motorists; • Removal of inoperative vehicles involved in traffic accidents; • Removal of vehicles or other objects creating traffic hazards; • The impound of abandoned vehicles;
• The impound of vehicles as criminal evidence;
• Assisting disabled police or City vehicles; and
• Impound of vehicles whose owners have failed to pay multiple outstanding parking citations as prescribed by state and local law.
The primary objectives of the OPTS providers are to ensure public safety by the expeditious removal of vehicles impeding the roadway, to support the Police Department, and to serve the community.
The Police Department has jurisdiction for all traffic related events, incidents, accidents and enforcement in the City of Glendale; exclusive of traffic accidents on the freeways which fall under the jurisdiction of the California Highway Patrol. The Police Department Parking and Police Services Bureau is responsible for overseeing and handling all tow related services in the City and the management of the tow contracts.
A typical police-related tow requires the Police Department to respond with a patrol car, police motorcycle, or parking enforcement vehicle and evaluate the situation and call for an OPTS provider. The officer then prepares documentation and, in the case of impounds, inventories the car and its contents. Officers must stand by and await the arrival of the OPTS providers. Once the tow arrives, the car is taken to a designated location for storage. That storage area must be convenient and accessible to police personnel and the public and in proximity to the area covered. The owner (or person responsible) of any vehicle that has been towed at the request of the Police Department, is entitled to a Tow Review Hearing conducted by the Police Department.
This hearing is conducted by the Traffic Bureau officers to determine the facts, the lawfulness, and appropriateness of the tow. The Parking and Police Services Bureau is responsible for investigating claims related to tows, citizen complaints regarding tows, OPTS providers or their drivers, and the inspection of OPTS providers’ facilities and equipment.
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PROPOSED REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)
Staff recommends that the Council adopt a competitive procedure for selecting OPTS Providers, as outlined in Exhibit 1: Request for Proposal. The recommended competitive process will allow tow vendors to submit a proposal to the City which will be evaluated for financial viability, potential conflicts of interest, demonstrated performance, equipment inventory, location of facilities, and ability to provide service to the City. Proposals will be reviewed and scored by a review committee designated by the Chief of Police. The review committee will score each proposal, using the following categories and points:
Categories:
(1) Service Requirements: 25
(2) Qualifications of Personnel & Management: 20
(3) Facility & Equipment Requirements: 25
(4) Prior Experience: 15
(5) References: 5
(6) Financial Viability: 10
Maximum Total Points: 100
After scoring the proposals, the review committee will conduct site visits and interview the responsive applicants. The committee will then deliver their written recommendation to the Chief of Police for his consideration. The Chief of Police will prepare a report to the City Council with a recommendation(s) regarding the most qualified Proposer(s) for approval to enter into an agreement(s).
Tow vendors will be able to apply for one or two districts but can only be awarded a contract to provide service to one area.
The City of Glendale is currently divided into three tow districts, with tow services being provided by Gay’s Towing (District 1), Mid- Valley Tow (District 2), and Crescenta Valley Towing (District 3) (See current district map, Exhibit 2). While this structure was originally implemented to balance service needs, data analysis of tow volumes for 2024 has revealed that a two-district structure will be more equitable and efficient.
Glendale Municipal Code section 10.55.050 provides that the city may enlarge, reduce, or redraw a district’s boundaries or increase or decrease the number of districts. The two-district map will have Brand Boulevard as the dividing line. District 1 will include everything west of Brand Boulevard and District 2 will include everything east of Brand Boulevard.
Two districts will result in a more equitable distribution of tows and will simplify operations for department staff by eliminating the need to reference maps to determine where a district begins or ends. It will also avoid potential disputes or complications regarding which tow company should have been called for a specific location, fostering greater clarity. Staff also considered implementing a system whereby OPTS providers 4{{section.number}}{{item.number}}
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would be assigned tows throughout the city on a rotational basis. This system was determined to not be feasible because the process would be time-consuming and more prone to errors and inconsistencies. Additionally, implementing a software program to manage the rotations would be costly and unjustified, given the relatively low number of tows our agency handles annually.
STAKEHOLDERS/OUTREACH
The current and potential tow operators will be advised of the forthcoming RFP by email.
FISCAL IMPACT
At this time, the issuance of the RFP will not have a significant financial impact on the Police Department. However, the Police Department expends a substantial amount of time and multiple resources facilitating and regulating tow services in the City. This includes time at the scene of the incident, report writing and processing, release process time, complaint mitigations, and tow hearings and appeals.
The City currently collects a Vehicle Towing Administrative Cost Recovery fee per vehicle in the amount of $300 from each contractor as allowed under GMC 10.55.090.
During calendar year 2024, the Police Department towed 1284 vehicles subject to the VTACR fee. The amount collected in any fiscal year will continue to be dependent upon the number of vehicles released to vehicle owners.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW (CEQA/NEPA)
This activity involves the use of existing City streets for purposes of towing vehicles under the City’s police powers and is therefore exempt from CEQA under CEQA Guidelines section 15301.
CAMPAIGN DISCLOSURE
This item is exempt from campaign disclosure requirements.
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Alternative 1: The City Council may elect not to authorize the Police Department to move forward with the RFP. If that occurs, the City will either have to extend the current contracts or not have official tow contractors after July 31, 2025.
Alternative 2: The City Council may consider any other alternative not proposed by staff.
ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION
Submitted by:
Manuel Cid, Police Chief
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Prepared by:
Tina Hartoonian, Parking and Police Services Administrator Approved by:
Roubik R. Golanian, P.E., City Manager
EXHIBITS/ATTACHMENTS
Exhibit 1 – Request for Proposal (RFP)
Exhibit 2 – Current Tow District Map