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City goes after tow-company license

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Indianapolis is moving to revoke the license of a prominent local towing company that officials say has violated local ordinances and elicited more than two dozen consumer complaints.

The city’s Department of Code Enforcement on Monday issued a hearing notice to Interstate/Delaware and South Towing for license revocation or suspension.

According to the city, the company, which has locations downtown on Delaware Street and on Kitley Road on the city’s east side, has not upheld requirements to post signage and to get approval from parking lot owners or authorized agents before towing vehicles. The firm received a citation for inadequate signage in late October.

Interstate/Delaware and South’s general manager, Brian Meyer, could not be reached for comment Tuesday morning.

Earlier this year, the City-County Council approved regulations to prevent companies from engaging in predatory towing practices. The new rules include caps for towing and storage fees, requirements that towing companies accept cash and credit-card payments, and 24/7 access to towed vehicles.

Interstate/Delaware and South is the first towing company to face a license hearing since those provisions were put in place, said Kate Johnson, a spokeswoman for the Department of Code Enforcment.

Code enforcement officials have received 28 citizen complaints since late August that Interstate/Delaware and South violated these and other rules, including  exceeding the fee cap and failing to post sufficient signage.

A hearing on the license is scheduled for Jan. 10, when an administrative law judge will determine whether to revoke the company's license.

If its license is revoked, Interstate/Delaware and South could be prohibited from towing vehicles without consent of their owners in Indianapolis for up to a year, Johnson said.

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  • One upside of the parking meter privatization...
    ... is that they did away with much of the silly "No Parking 3-6 pm zones" on Delaware Street since ACS decided they'd like to increase the meter revenue. Tom should probably also be upset with the IMPD also though, because I use to be able to see those cars get towed on Delaware every day and the tow trucks couldn't take them until after the cop wrote them a ticket.
  • making the world a better place
    So Daddy what do you do for a living? Oh, I create misery, steal money and suck the life out of society. Merry Xmas honey.
  • AMEN
    Delaware & South has ALWAYS been quick to snatch. One time, I came out of a store downtown and arrived at the meter where I had parked, and no car... at 3:01 PM. Still time on the meter, but they had a dozen or more cars within 30 seconds of the start of the parking ban. No, they weren't just finishing up getting hooked up, they were GONE. I used to drive a wrecker back when gas stations had their own, so I know exactly how ling it took to get hooked up. They HAD to have started about 2:50 that afternoon. I say NAIL 'EM GOOD!
    • Justice
      Let's start a class action suit against these thieves. I know at least 10 people who frauduently had their vehicles hooked in unposted lots that had always allowed parking. Some hard working restaurant workers barely making minimum wage.$170 fees and no car after a 12 hour shift. What despicible parasites.
    • gta
      Next time they grab a car charge them with grand theft auto. Maybe that will slow them down a bit.

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