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Council strikes wrecker-renewal item after police report problems with Morgan Towing
Summary
Councilors removed the consent-item consideration of several wrecker-service contract renewals after police described operational and licensing problems tied to Morgan Towing; staff recommended renewing three contractors and not Morgan.
The Oklahoma City Council struck from the consent docket a renewal of wrecker-service contracts after the police department described multiple administrative and operational problems with Morgan Towing, the city’s current contractor for part of the service area.
Nick Morgan, representing Morgan Towing, asked the council to approve a renewal and said his company had corrected recent issues. But Police Captain Wiens summarized incidents in 2024 and early 2025 that led staff not to recommend Morgan Towing’s renewal: at least two incidents in which vehicles with investigative holds were released, a tow company driver reportedly placed an investigative hold on a vehicle that had not been requested, staffing gaps that left the company unable to provide 24/7 coverage, slow response times on at least one Saturday tow request, and at least one report that a driver sold an ATV impounded by the city.
Captain Wiens also said Morgan Towing had recently experienced a lapse in its state towing license around New Year’s Eve and had relocated to a new yard after a rezoning denial delayed an earlier move. He said Morgan’s local management had changed and that Morgan had resumed service the previous Friday after a suspension earlier in the year.
Burt Woodring, a longtime local towing-industry operator, told the council he supported the police department’s recommendation. Morgan asked the council to reconsider and said the company had corrected the problems.
Council members voted to strike the item so it could be considered separately rather than on the consent docket; the motion to strike passed unanimously. Staff said the current contracts run through April 30 and that if contracts are not renewed the city would need to arrange alternate coverage for the affected zone. The council indicated intent to return the item to the agenda for a later meeting so members could discuss the specifics of the police recommendation and any remediation by Morgan Towing.
