HOUSTON—The Houston City Council may allow parking enforcement officers and members of the Mobility Response Team to authorize the towing of vehicles illegally parked on city streets, under new rules proposed Thursday.
Supporters say the change would free up Houston Police officers, who are currently the only people allowed to authorize a tow on a public street.
“We’d rather have police officers doing other things,” said City Council Member Sue Lovell. “This will just free the police up to continue patrolling the neighborhoods and let the parking management system take care of the parking problem.”
The rule would primarily affect neighborhoods that have restrictions on street parking, Lovell said. If the city council approves the ordinance, residents would not have to wait for an HPD officer to arrive to authorize a tow, and normal parking patrols would be sufficient to clear streets of illegally-parked vehicles.
