Last night (Dec. 15), my car broke down on 228th Street Southeast during rush hour, in the dark and rain. I called AAA to tow my car. A Shoreline police officer pulled over and called the Bothell Police Department (PD) to let them know. When the Bothell PD showed up, the police officer asked if I called about towing. I told him AAA said they would be 15-60 minutes. Because I was blocking traffic, he asked me to cancel AAA so they could call “their tow truck,” which would definitely get there much sooner. So I did, figuring the city has its own tow truck.

Fortunately, more than 20 minutes later, the AAA tow truck driver called me to say he was on his way and asked if the Bothell PD-called tow truck had shown up yet. He warned me they would charge me the impound rate of around $250. He arrived 30 seconds after the PD-called tow truck. The PD-called driver mentioned $225 to the police officer, who told him that AAA was right behind him. The PD-called driver was polite enough about leaving and asked if they would be “put back at the top of their list.” It seems the Bothell PD just call a tow truck company on their list.

It is shameful that the Bothell PD asked me to cancel a practically free tow from AAA in favor of their randomly called tow truck that would have charged me a fortune. I am not a conspiracy theorist or anarchist, but this experience makes me hesitant to trust the Bothell PD. I encourage the Bothell PD to change its policy of taking advantage of its own citizens in such a common situation.

Steven Rubenstein, Bothell

Editor’s note: The Reporter contacted the Bothell Police Department after receiving the above letter. Here is the department’s response:

As community members are well aware, public safety is the No. 1 priority for the Bothell Police Department and the Bothell Fire Service. A disabled vehicle that is blocking the roadway creates a number of community safety issues at any hour of the day. The timely and safe removal of that vehicle is vital to facilitate a timely commute and general traffic flow, as well. On the date and time noted above, the traffic volume and inclement weather played strongly in the decision process that mandated the vehicle be removed as quickly as possible. The officer’s decision to request a tow was also magnified when the window of the AAA response was 15-60 minutes as stated by the letter writer.

The department’s request for a tow from our rotational tow list was in response to the safety concerns the blocking vehicle posed, that vehicle’s timely removal and nothing else.

As the letter writer pointed out, the AAA tow request showed up prior to the tow requested by the department and was allowed to remove the vehicle. Had the department-requested tow shown up earlier, it is likely that tow operator would have moved that vehicle out of the roadway, as the goal is safety; removal of that vehicle in a timely manner is what was necessary to ensure that goal was attained. In that situation, while unfortunate, the vehicle operator would have had the expense of the vehicle removal.

In the spring of 2010, the Bothell Police Department recommended changes in the Bothell Municipal Code to protect the citizens from excessive charges for impounds and storage fees from tow companies. Bothell Police was successful in requesting the city council pass those changes and has established a process in which tow companies are selected prior to being allowed to operate within the city of Bothell or be part of our rotational tow list.

Henry D. Simon, acting deputy chief of Bothell police