Policy Text
Field Services 1 OF 6 3/04 (REV 1/04)
Vehicle Towing, Storing , Evidence Processing
and Payment of Towing and Storage Fees
The purpose of this Operations Or der is to describe the procedu re for vehicle towing,
storing, evidence processing and payment of towing and storage fees.
I. TOWING
A. Department Vehicles:
Department vehicles are to be to wed only by the towing firms ap proved by the
Automotive Fleet Manager. A list of these firms is maintained in the
Communications Center, and the fi rm selection will be made by
Communications personnel. Except ion: South Bureau Patrol Offi cers may
make their own selection, usi ng the towing firm nearest to the vehicle
location.
B. Vehicles Belonging to Arrested Subjects:
A vehicle belonging to an a rrested subject and not needed for e videntiary
purposes should be handled as follows:
1. Released to an individual a cceptable to the driver/owner aft er the officer
verifies the person receiving t he vehicle has a valid driver’s license.
2. Parked and locked in a non- hazardous location until the driv er/owner can
make arrangements to have it removed. When such arrangements a re
made, the owner's acceptance of t hese arrangements should be so licited
and noted in the cr ime report.
3. If neither of the alternativ es is acceptable, the driver/own er should be
advised that if a tow request is initiated at the request of th e driver of the
vehicle, the cost will be billed to the driver/owner. The crim e report should
indicate that the driver/o wner has been so advised.
II. STORAGE
A. Vehicles Stored for Evidence Purposes
Field Services 2 OF 6 3/04 (REV 1/04) Any vehicle being towed and stor ed for evidence purposes should be
escorted, by an officer, to the v ehicle’s destination to mainta in the chain of
evidence. Officers should be aware that all towing and storing expenses for
vehicles towed or impounded exclus ively for evidence purposes a re paid from
County funds. This expense, versus alternative methods and the value of the
potential evidence, must be indi vidually evaluated and have sup ervisory
approval.
1. Vehicles Stored at Commercial Establishments
a. No Search Warrant Required : When the vehicle is stored for routine
C.S.I. work or investigative fo llow-up, the crime report should be
stamped, "EXPEDITE" and the appropr iate recommendations include d
in the requested follow-up parag raph. The report must include the
address or location of the stor age area. The officer storing t he vehicle
must contact SSD Communication s and have a CSI event entered in to
the CAD to include a description of the CSI work to be accompli shed.
2. Vehicle Storage at the Sheriff’s Evidence Lab
Vehicles may be towed to the Sh eriff’s Evidence Lab when they r equire
extensive forensic identificati on processing, biological fluid/ tissue, trace
evidence collection, bullet extra ction or trajectory analysis t hat cannot be
performed by SSD personnel. Storage space and labor atory personnel time i s limited; therefo re,
requests must come from the detec tive assigned to the case and should
be limited to major, high priori ty crimes against persons. If no detective is
available, a patrol Watch Co mmander may make the request.
It should be noted that many of the identification processes ap plied by lab
personnel will destroy or severe ly damage vehicles. This fact should be
considered when making the decision to have vehicles processed for
latent prints at the lab rat her than having CSI respond pursuan t to section
II, A, 1, above.
Field Services 3 OF 6 3/04 (REV 1/04)
a. During Normal Business H ours (0600-1600, M-F): The requestin g
officer shall notify an evidence lab technician to determine wh ether
space is available. The reques ting officer will then have the vehicle
towed to the lab. The officer shall prepare a property report form listing
the vehicle as evidence. In addi tion, he/she shall prepare a
continuation report form contai ning instructions regarding the
identification work or evidence analysis to be completed, a sta tement
concerning any related search w arrant information, and the name of
the detective in charge of the case or the name of the Watch
Commander authorizing the stor age. Both forms and the keys to the
vehicle shall be gi ven to lab personnel.
If there is processing to be done by County Crime Lab personnel , the
detective in charge of the case o r evidence lab technician will make the
arrangements.
b. Storage after Hours, Satur days, Sundays, and Holidays: If l ab
personnel are not available to r eceive the vehicle, the request ing
officer shall contact the communications bureau to request that a CSI
officer receive the tow at the evidence lab. Before the vehicl e is towed,
the requesting officer will put t he property and continuation r eport
forms (mentioned in section II, A , 2, a, above) inside the vehi cle.
The CSI officer will receive t he vehicle and ensure that it is parked in
one of the two stalls in the se cured garage area. If garage sp ace