Safety must drive towing fees

Is it about safety? Or is it about money?

We’ve raised that question regarding red-light cameras in the suburbs spitting out $100 violations that cushion municipal coffers.

Now comes the new trend of “administrative tows,” mandatory vehicle tows for some violations that come with a price tag — in Elgin, $175 for the towing company plus a whopping $500 for the city.

Elgin’s not the only suburb to require the costly tows. It modeled its program after Hanover Park’s. Mundelein also has a $500 towing fee for cars involved in certain offenses, Daily Herald staff writer Tara Garcia Mathewson reported. So do many other suburbs.

The substantial wallop in the wallet, proponents say, is meant to deter crime. And perhaps it does. The Elgin fee originally was set at $250 and applied only to operating a vehicle with a sound system loud enough to be heard at least 75 feet away. Violations dropped.

But naturally, so did revenue, and Elgin’s real motivation comes into question in what it did next: double the fee to $500 and add mandatory tows for three more offenses, driving without a license, driving with a suspended or revoked license and driving under the influence.

Since that change in October 2009, towing fees have poured nearly $1.6 million into city coffers.

That’s where this issue gets ticklish.

It’s hard to argue with imposing a $500 fine aimed at deterring a specific, quantifiable public hazard — and driving under the influence or with a revoked license certainly qualify.

But, like red-light cameras, these things have a way of becoming a justification for a revenue stream rather than a tool to reduce crime. The crimes may dip down, but the income cannot, potentially driving the case for higher fines or fines for more offenses.

Incoming Elgin Mayor Dave Kaptain is talking about doing that, suggesting mandatory tows for possessing drugs or stolen property and perhaps insurance violations.

Confusion over the ultimate goal already surfaces.

It’s a deterrent, says Elgin City Manager Sean Stegall.

It’s a user fee, meant to take the burden off regular taxpayers when police time is spent investigating an offense, says Mundelein Police Chief Ray Rose, past president of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police.

It’s certainly a bonanza for the towing contractor.

And a large burden for offenders, one that should be reserved for eliminating hazards judged to be of the highest priority.

Even if that means eliminating some of the cash flow.