General Duties The Franchisee’s primary duty will be: responding, on a first priority basis, to requests for towing and storage services initiated by the Police Department. The Franchisee must have a minimum of two (2) tow trucks available at all times (24 hours/day, 7 days/week, 365 days/year, including holidays and weekends) to respond to requests for service from the Police Department. No exceptions. The Franchisee must also respond to towing requests from other City employees who are duly authorized by law to remove vehicles for storage, investigations, or both. Typical towing situations will include, but will not be limited to: removing illegally parked vehicles, towing inoperative vehicles as a result of traffic accidents, mechanical breakdowns, storing, or impounding vehicles for investigations, evidence or a violation of law. The Franchisee must provide towing and storage services 24 hours/day, 7 days/week, 365 days/year, including holidays and weekends. No exceptions. The Franchisee must maintain adequate personnel, equipment, and facilities at all times to perform the required towing services, within the time frames outlined in this proposal and the executed contract. While the Franchisee has custody of vehicles, the Franchisee will be responsible for their safekeeping, including their contents, until they have been released to the owner or owner’s agent, or disposed of in the manner permitted by law. Until the Franchisee receives the Police Department’s written authorization, the Franchisee must not release a vehicle to an owner or the owner’s agent when the Police Department is: a. Holding the vehicle for investigation, examination, or evidence, or requests its special handling or protection (“police hold vehicles”); or b. Impounding that vehicle for unpaid parking citations, lack of current registration, or a violation of law. To prevent damage to police hold vehicles or denigration of any evidence in or upon those vehicles, such as fingerprints or stains, the Franchisee must store police hold vehicles in a secure area protected against the elements, sources of contamination, and entry by unauthorized persons. The Franchisee must make the secure storage area available for the period of time determined by the Police Department to allow for the proper collection, documentation, and analysis of the evidence.
