City Council Moves Forward With Bill To Rein In Wreck Chasers

November 16, 2010 6:30 PM

(Philadelphia City Council members James Kenney, left, and Frank Rizzo. File photos)

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The Discovery Channel has a new program, “Wreck Chasers,” that puts Philadelphia in a poor light by highlighting the city’s many rogue tow truck operators.

On Tuesday, a City Council committee okayed a plan to give the Philadelphia Parking Authority control of the issue — but not before that program prompted some verbal sparring among councilmembers.

(Clip of two truck driver on TV show:) “Wreck chasing is about being the first one to hear the call, the first one to respond to the call, the first one to get there.”

A segment of the cable show “Wreck Chasers” prompted a heated debate between councilmembers Jim Kenney and Frank Rizzo on Tuesday over how bad the problem is.

Kenney says current efforts to deal with wreck chasers are broken; Rizzo says the TV program was outdated.

(Kenney:) “What we viewed here is pretty recent…”
(Rizzo:) “No it’s not.”
(Kenney:) “Yes it is.”
(Rizzo:) “It’s months old!”
(Kenney:) “Months, yeah.”
(Rizzo:) “Months, months!”
(Kenney:) ” ‘Recent’ is not years old.”
(Rizzo:) “…before the administration…”
(Kenney:) “By the way…”

Kenney is pushing a bill that would put the Philadelphia Parking Authority in charge of the city’s rotational towing system, a system aimed at restoring some order. Rizzo objects to Parking Authority involvement.

Reported by KYW City Hall Bureau Chief Mike Dunn.

City Council Moves Forward With Bill To Rein In Wreck Chasers

joe

This clown is wrong this show was filmed starting back in may . you can tell because that is when the police just started to stop giving info over the scanners and there is no way these to companies can tow over 50 vehicles in 24 hrs from accidents if you really watched the show you can tell these are fly by night companies and will not be in business long and also quote (if you scratch thier back they scratch yours if you know what I mean ) this from a show with the owner of Sianni’s towing saying about the police dept so Councilman Kenney I think you should look at the whole picture the problem lies in the police dept to they are just as guilty as the tower JUST WATCH THE WHOLE SHOW

and also you think that your car is not held hostage by the PPA you are Dead wrong
JOE

I WONDER HOW MUCH OF A CAMPAIGN DONATION PPA MAKES TO KENNEY TO GET REELECTED TO OFFICE AGAIN I BET HE GETS A GOOD PAY CHECK EVERY WEEK FROM THE PPA ALSO RENDELL GAVE THE PPA TO MUCH AUTHORITY
billy

PPA will not save the day they suck My company tows for the state police and we have to bail PPA out all the time they never have flatbeds on and they never have enough drivers We as a company have to give a 15 min eta and PPA will leave you high and dry sometimes they show one hour after being dispatched and this leaves the state troopers in harms way of being injured by the motorist who fly by them and hit them Isn’t PPA a privately own non profit organzation
MasterDriver

If the PPA is involved, then you can count on two things, as sure as the sun rises: 1) They will find a way to make money out of it – conversely, others will pay for their turn of profit; and 2) They will jam the red ribbon of paperwork so far up into the outer recesses that no one will be able to control the new “life forms of bureaucracy” that they will have created. The PPA did it with Taxis and Limousines and they will surely do it with wreck chasers. As always, the PPA will do it in the name of order, efficiency and legality’; while, in reality, it will have been done in the name of extending their own reign of terror and power avarice. And for nothing more – other than making money from others toil, mistakes and ignorance. The SS. the Mob and the KGB should have had such wonderful fronts.
Bob

Its like 2 months old. I was there when they were taping
cm ocasio

the parking authority, that other organization that puts Philly in such a wonderful light??? LOL