It's long overdue that the Texas Attorney General is going to investigate what we have known for the past 15 years, corruption within the towing industry, taking advantage of consumers.
AG Abbott, states: "We're going to undertake an exhaustive investigation"
Any type of investigation into the towing companies involved in private property non consensual towing will take a good year to conduct an investigation, considering how widespread the problem is.
I would recommend that the AG include the State Comptroller in this investigation to recover all the sales tax the towing companies and vehicle storage facilities, that are connected to these towing companies, have stolen from the state. (parking lot signage is taxable)
The issue of legality in the towing and storing a vehicle without probable cause from private property has many facets, such as who installed the red and white towing signs, who paid for the red and white towing signs, we know for a fact, that towing companies have their red and white towing signs made and provide them for free, a criminal violation of State Law.
If the AG is going to get to the bottom of every towing company that has abused our citizens, it's going to take sworn testimony from parking facility owners/managers regarding the bribes they took from the towing company to garner a towing contract in the first place. From my experience of dealing with an apartment complex manager, they will deny they accepted any financial benefit from a towing company, but cannot produce a canceled check where they purchased the red and white towing signs, parking permits or parking lot striping. What more, is some towing companies, just as corrupt as J&J Towing will advertise in Apartment Association Magazines they "will" represent the property manager" for free, a direct violation of State Law.
So, I think this undertaking of the Attorney General is going to become larger than his online child predators initiative, which the public will benefit from, but, we can't expect result any sooner than a year, because of the shear number of towing companies, wrecker drivers, vehicle storage facilities and parking facilities involved in this corruption, that has been allowed to grow, just like cancer.
The public has a right to know why the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation is issuing a Occupation Wrecker Operator Licensee to Registered Sex Offenders. Would you want your daughter or wife to be picked up by a Registered Sex Offender when calling to have your vehicle towed late at night after becoming disabled?
I just hope that AG Abbott will do right by the Texas Towing Law, like other AGs in past and uphold the integrity of towing statute, that was writtin to protect the consumers.
