Source: https://ecode360.com/8469920
Timestamp: 2018-07-21 06:11:52
Document Index: 345754454

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133']

Township of Boonton, NJ Towing
§ 133-2 Removal of vehicles; rotation lists; application; equipment; facilities; availability and response time.
§ 133-3 Fees.
§ 133-4 Additional regulations for towing service operators.
§ 133-5 Complaint and hearing; violations and penalties.
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee of the Township of Boonton by Ord. No. 582. Amendments noted where applicable.]
Gasoline stations — See Ch. 96.
Abandoned vehicles — See Ch. 140.
A private passenger automobile, station wagon, van, sport utility vehicle or pickup truck up to and including 1/2 ton.
From 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., prevailing time.
From 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 a.m., prevailing time.
An automobile storage facility that is not indoors and is secured by a fence, wall or other man-made barrier that is at least six feet high and is equipped with a passive alarm system or a similar onsite security measure. The facility is to be lighted at night.
The recovery of an automobile from a position beyond the right-of-way or berm, or from being impaled upon any other object within the right-of-way or berm. It shall also include the recovery of a vehicle which is overturned or on its side.
Removal of motor vehicles. Whenever a police officer orders the removal of an automobile from private or public property, the officer shall utilize the rotation lists established in § 133-2B of this chapter.
Towing operators. Every three years the Township Committee shall establish by resolution a list of automobile towing operators and a list of truck towing operators to be utilized by the Police Department on a rotating basis. An operator may, if qualified, be on both lists. Such lists shall be utilized by members of the Police Department on a nonexclusionary and nondiscriminatory basis. Only those towing operators who meet the minimum standards of operator performance set forth in this chapter shall be included on such lists. There shall be no limit on the number of operators on either list. Operators may be added to the list at any time.
Application. Each owner of a towing service that applies to be a towing operator for the Police Department must execute the Authorization by Subject of Request and Privacy Act Notification area of Form SBI-212A and SBI-212B (Request for Criminal History Record Information for a Non-Criminal Justice Purpose) and submit to a criminal background investigation pursuant to N.J.S.A. 53:1-20.5 et seq. This investigation shall include disclosure of any crime, misdemeanor or violation of any municipal ordinance, the nature of the offense and the punishment or penalty assessed. Additionally, the Chief of Police shall also cause the applicant to be fingerprinted for the purpose of a criminal history check. All applicants must submit a cashier's check, certified check or money order drawn on a United States bank in the amount of $49, payable to the Division of State Police — SBI, for the criminal history search. If the applicant is a corporation, then this requirement shall apply to the officers of the corporation. As a result of such investigation, the Chief of Police shall note, in writing, his recommendation and his reasons therefor to the Township Clerk. The Township Clerk shall present the completed application, along with the recommendation from the Chief of Police as to whether the application shall issue, at the next regularly scheduled public meeting. If the Township Committee so directs, the Township Clerk shall approve the application.
For classification as an automobile towing service, the operator must possess at least one flatbed-style tow vehicle and one hoist-type tow vehicle with a sling and wheel lift.
For classification as a truck towing service, the operator must have at least one heavy duty tow vehicle capable of towing a fully loaded tractor-trailer weighing 80,000 pounds.
Two-way radio communication system or cell phone.
All towing vehicles must carry a copy of the rate schedule established by the Township. Said schedule must also be displayed in a conspicuous manner at the operator's place of business.
Facilities. Each operator must have a storage lot and place of business within three miles of Boonton Township. The towing business and storage lot must comply with all zoning ordinances and regulations in the municipality in which they are located.
Automobiles and motorcycles. The fee schedule for towing services and storage shall be established by the Township Committee by resolution.
Trucks. Towing operators shall charge reasonable fees for towing trucks, taking into account the size of the vehicle being towed, the time of day and day of the week and difficulty of the towing operation. Each operator on the list shall promulgate a fee schedule and file copies of that schedule with the Police Chief and the Township Clerk. Each of these schedules shall be available for public inspection at the office of the Township Clerk during normal business hours.
Release of impounded vehicles. No impounded vehicle is to be released without proper authorization from the Police Department. Vehicle release arrangements must be available from the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (excluding New Jersey state holidays), and Saturdays by appointment. The Township shall supply junk titles or good titles for abandoned vehicles in accordance with the provisions of N.J.S.A. 39:10-1 et seq.
Each operator on the approved lists shall furnish the Township Clerk with a certificate of insurance from an insurance company satisfactory to the Township. Each certificate of insurance shall identify the coverage provided and shall provide that such insurance shall not be changed or canceled without giving 10 days' prior written notice to the Township by certified mail, return receipt requested. Specific reference to the rotating lists of towing operators shall be made on all policies of insurance.
Each operator must have bodily injury liability, property damage liability, employer's liability, motor vehicle liability and garage keeper's liability coverage with combined policy limits of $1,000,000. Each approved operator must also have statutorily required workers' compensation coverage.
Each operator shall indemnify and save the Township harmless from all damages and claims for damages which may be made by any person for bodily injury or property damages resulting from the operator's performance.
Enforcement. The Police Department is designated to enforce the provisions of this chapter in accordance with due process of law. In carrying out the provisions of this chapter, the Police Chief is hereby authorized to adopt additional reasonable regulations which are not inconsistent with this chapter.
Any operator found to be disposing of vehicles in violation of this procedure will be charged with misapplication of entrusted property (N.J.S.A. 2C:21-15) and will be prohibited from providing service to the Township.
The vehicle owner or his or her representative shall have the right to take photographs of stored vehicles during normal business hours.
Public inspection. This chapter, all regulations adopted by the Police Chief and the fee schedules of individual tow operators shall be available to the public during normal business hours.
The operator shall always act in a professional manner and at all times be courteous and respectful toward members of the public, as well as representatives of the Township. If members of the public, especially those whose cars may have been towed or impounded, resort to strong language, threats and unbecoming behavior toward the operator, the operator is expected to exercise restraint and not to respond in kind and thereby reflect unfavorably on the Township and/or the Police Department.
Repeated reports of discourteous behavior by the operator, which can be substantiated and documented, may be considered by the Township as sufficient cause for removal of the operator from the rotational list of automobile towing operators and truck towing operators as established consistent with § 133-2B.
The governing body shall have the right to suspend or revoke any towing privileges issued pursuant to this section for good cause upon written complaint of the Police Chief. In the event that a towing operator fails or refuses to retain the proper equipment, personnel or facilities necessary to perform the services required for towing operators, or that the services performed are not satisfactory or violate any provision of this section, rule or regulation duly adopted, the Police Chief shall file a written complaint with the governing body that there is probable cause for revocation or suspension. Written notice of such complaint and the basis of the complaint shall be given to the towing operator, and said operator shall be entitled to a hearing before the governing body prior to final determination of the complaint by the governing body.
Any operator who violates any section of this chapter, in addition to any other penalties provided by law, shall be subject to suspension of towing privileges for one month for a first offense, three months for a second offense, and six months for a third offense. If the operator commits a fourth offense its right to provide towing services to the Township shall be permanently revoked, and the towing operator shall be removed from the list of approved operators.
A towing operator may be removed from the list adopted pursuant to § 133-2B, by resolution of the Township Committee, if its performance is determined to be unreliable or inadequate. If there is a breach of any of the provisions of this chapter or applicable regulations, an operator may be removed from the list by the Chief of Police pending action by the Township Committee.