Originally Posted by OilStasher
I love how he avoids the questions he can't answer to support the agenda.
Being arrested more than every other month for 25 years would tell me I'm probably doing something wrong, and I should fix my life, but what do I know...
Oh yeah. Lawyers and lobbying. That's right.
I've answered every single question put forth and been very open. My agenda is safety, doing the right thing, being professional. My concern is your safety because you and many customers just don't have the proper knowledge or care, the safety of others in the road and my own safety on the road. My agenda is protecting my own liability.
My agenda was also to gin up a thread that would have some action. I come here on and off to read and participate because I get bored. It's a hobby. I also feel I have knowledge to share. Most people here think they are smarter than industry experts...which I am one along with others....manufacturers......engineers ect ect ect.
So I get a chuckle and have fun with it.
As far as being arrested it's part of the industry. Every owner of every PPI (private property impound) and non consent company has at least one if not more arrests. Proportionally I believe mine to be less per capita of vehicles impounded but total number much higher owing to volume.
My companies impound thousands and thousands of cars per year. During a single football game we routinely impound 1200 cars at a time. Easy Peasy. We could do more but my lot gets filled up. I run my wreckers 24/7. Have over 250 hidden cameras installed citywide to watch for parking violators...birdhouse cams...little cams here and there...spotters dressed up as homeless looking people, spotters on scooters.....shills. Ect. I have a well oiled machine. You park wrong and my best drivers can have your car snatched on my wrecker in many cases under 4-6 seconds. Oftentimes don't even need to get out of the truck to do it. People park, leave car running, flashers on and run into a store for 2 mins...your car is gone, still running towed to my yard. Flashers on. Engine running. That tends to make people not like me. One truck working alone with a good driver can impound easily 4 cars per hour sometimes more if they driver is lucky and fast. Usually the trucks work as teams with some pulling and others transporting to my yard. (We don't stage that's a felony)
People don't like impound towing people. One of the major State University's we impound near had an online pole a few years ago. Rate murders, serial killers, rapists, child molesters and me personally. I was ranked last. I've had cops tell me to my face they will find a reason to have me in the back of their car with handcuffs. You think I'm dirty you should see what cops do!!!! Even the good ones are still not good but they don't even realize it which is worse than a cop that knows he's dirty.
Like any industry there are good operators and bad ones. I take pride in doing things well. I am a good operator. If I wasn't I would be in jail and convicted. I wouldn't be successful. Every truck has (4) cameras with microphones and an internal hard drive. That means I have proof of every tow so when the owner of the car swears we are lying or even moved their car so we could steal it I have the proof. Keeps my drivers honest. I can pull a live feed from my truck cams on any truck. I GPS track my trucks 24/7. I'm the ONLY impound company has every truck with 4 cameras. I do things right. My trucks are clean inside and out. My drivers as clean cut as possible. At one time I didn't hire with any visible tattoos, no earrings, no long hair and no facial hair. That was a long time ago. Things have changed. Ive had to change to stay in business and be profitable. I still require...men and women and yes I have women impound drivers....to wear long hair under a hat and or tied close to the head. That's for their safety. Have a DUI or criminal record. Can't work for me. Come to my service center and it's clean. Organized. Really really clean. I take pride in what I do. I hang a picture, I use a bubble level.
Now a lot of people call me slimey, scum and horrible things. I am just doing my job. A job that is needed or else I wouldn't be impounding so many vehicles. I don't park the cars. The drivers do that. If they had common sense and could read and pay attention to signs written in 3rd grade English and in some areas Spanish I would go out of business in 24hrs. Fact is they can't. So I get blamed for THEIR actions. Over the years my company has [censored] off a of of people. We have impounded cars belonging to congressman, state and US, sons and daughters of powerful people. Very powerful people's cars. Sports figures...including a Daytona 500 winner. (He was great btw posed for pics and got a kick out of it) They have used everything in their power to shut me down and persecute me.
BTW I have a degree from one of the top 10 public universities in the country. I'm not a dumb redneck like many in this business are I wear a jacket and tie to my office.
Of of the arrests only four times in 25 years have I ever been actually booked at the police station, only three times have the police handcuffed me.....the other time w my lawyer present I turned myself in. (I Explain the other arrests below) Of the four arrests one was a DUI. I was not convicted and took it to a jury trial and was found not guilty. It was straight set-up bc the local police couldn't get me on anything related to towing and the police chief and elected Sheriff during his campaign both made a public pledge to shut my company down. So they went the DUI route. (Get a DUI as an owner of a PPI company and loose your license to impound tow when convicted). Now I like to drink. However, when I am drinking..even a single drink... I always always always have a black car service drive me. Always. Same as when My wife has wine w her friends. Same for when my daughter is in town. She's a target too. If I. Driving myself and decide to drink I have one of my wreckers come and tow my car and call the black car service.
After this DUI hoax and some other things that got out of control I no longer reside in the same city as my companies. I have a pilots license and own a plane and I fly myself to the cities where I operate and rotate what cars I keep at the airport to drive when I'm in town or use black cars. I moved after I had to hire armed security for my house when an irresponsible newspaper plastered the picture of my house and it's address on the front page with a headline to the effect the house roam towing built. At the time I had to have security take my daughter to school and watch her. I own a pair of imported, Schutzhund, bite trained to police level German Shepherds. My wife doesn't go anywhere without at least one dog with her and often both. I frequently take one in my plane w me and to the office. They take their commands only in German and Chech. Very lovable dogs and kids to me but necessary protection. I even have bulletproof vests for them.
I have lost count how many times I have been shot at. (I don't drive my wreckers anymore. Too old. But was on the front line for years) I have fired my own concealed carry on three occasions, twice hitting the assailant. Twice I have had hot coffee poured on me. Lost count of spitting. Was urinated on once. Have been bitten. Punched. So many times. Choked. Had two thugs about 18 years ago put 26 bullets into my office. I returned fire but learned a revolver was a poor choice. One is dead. The other still in jail. (I ran out of bullets) I have a much better concealed carry now with more bullets, bulletproof glass at my office and 24/7 armed police security I pay for. I always keep a real armed law enforcement officer at my impound yards. (Now) (State trooper or Fish and Game...local cops don't like me)
One arrest w handcuffs was after the state raided my office.
All of the other arrests technically are arrests but are all paperwork. In Florida you can be arrested without being taken Into custody. Many...most...of those arrests are sworn complaints. Florida has a crappy system where...and this happens all the time time. ALL the time.....one of my drivers impounds your car. You call 911. Officer responds. He tells you it's a civil matter and no crime occurred. You insist I be arrested because we stole your car. Officer by law must give your the forms and opportunity to file a sworn complaint. You fill out a 1 page form. I as the owner and my driver get read our rights and informed we have had a sworn complaint filed and have been arrested. That complaint goes to State Atty office for prosecution. Neither I or my driver gets hauled into a cruiser or handcuffed. If I'm not at my tow office...which I hardly am anymore...I get a certified letter mailed I am the subject of a sworn complaint and essentially arrested on paper.
That happens to me weekly. Just part of the business.
I have a 100 percent clean record. I have never pleaded to anything. Never will plead. Never accepted a lesser charge. Won everytime. Three grand jury's did not indict me and keep in mind people hate me and on these juries always someone I have impounded. Always. So if I was even a tiny bit guilty I would be convicted of something. I have a concealed carry in two states. No record.
Three times my company did violate a technical city ordinance and I paid $150 each occurrence for those violations which were clerical errors and non criminal.
Finally the Lobbyist and lawyer comment. Darn right I have good lawyers and lobbyists. I keep a legal team on retainer. Jose Biaz was for years my lead criminal defense lawyer. After he won the Casey Anthony trial had to change bc now he just writes books and doesn't personally represent clients. The guy is a pit bull on a pork chop.
The people against me.. everyone I have towed and and their sympathizers....many power people...are all lobbyists against me. So it's only fair I have mine for me. Same with lawyers. I have the brunt of law enforcement and prosecutors working for the government with unlimited time and funds. Even though I can afford the best lawyers and have them my best doesn't pale in comparison to what the government can bring to bear. So someone tell me why I wouldn't have these people on my side? I'm still the little guy when it comes to the Gov-ment.
