Tow company asks to join Bow rotation; selectmen ask police for memo and to reevaluate next spring

Summary

J and M Towing requested to be added to the town of Bow's tow rotation. Company representatives said they were assured they would be contacted but were not; police and selectmen said the department set a three-company rotation in April and prefer to review operational data and provide a memo before changing the list.

Michael Plant and Matthew Plant of J and M Towing and Recovery asked the Board of Selectmen to be added to Bow's tow rotation, saying they had been told by a police lieutenant they would be considered but were omitted when the department set a rotation this spring.

Police officials told the board the department set the rotation in April and selected three companies to meet the town's operational needs; the chief described the omission as a miscommunication. The Plants provided copies of emails they said show repeated assurances from a lieutenant that they would be contacted when a rotation was adopted.

Selectmen said they were sympathetic to the company but were not prepared to change a recently implemented system without formal input from the police department. The board asked the police to provide a memo describing how the rotation was developed, the department's assessment of call volume and capacity, and whether reopening the rotation now would be operationally justified; the board said it will reexamine the matter during the next rotation review in April.