Lawrence public safety committee questions Best Price Towing practices and why snow-removal contract was unsigned

The Lawrence public safety committee reviewed complaints about Best Price Towing and the city’s snow-removal towing list during a meeting on item 30-25, asking the city attorney for an explanation of why Best Price’s snow-removal contract was not signed and directing staff to contact other contracted tow firms.

Councilor Gregory de Rosario, who placed the item on the committee’s agenda, said constituent complaints prompted the review. “We represent people and two complaints, even if it’s she said, he said … we need to take into consideration and try to find out what exactly is going on,” Councilor Gregory de Rosario said.

The committee heard from Lieutenant Jay Cerullo of the Lawrence Police Department, who described two separate city tow agreements: a regular “duty tow” rotation (Sheehan’s and Cody’s) that requires a secured tow lot, AAA certification and certain insurance, and a separate snow-removal towing agreement the city created to increase capacity during DPW snow operations. “We have two current contracts in the city… the second tow agreement… was to increase the number of vehicles that we could tow during DPW and city snow emergencies,” Lieutenant Jay Cerullo said.

Police reported that last winter five companies were on the snow-removal list (Sheehan’s, Cody’s, Valley Towing, Matnos and Best Price), but this year only two remained on the rotation after Valley Towing went out of business, Matnos chose not to renew, and Best Price’s snow-removal agreement was not signed by the mayor’s office. Jamila Diaz, owner of Best Price Towing Services Corp., told the committee, “We did not receive any notice from the City of Lawrence. No email, no letter, nothing.” Attorney Jane Washington for the company added, “They are still doing it this year with the city,” noting the company’s operational practices.

Police said their records did not show formal complaints against Best Price for 2024–2025. Lieutenant Cerullo reported running CAD (computer-aided dispatch) data from January 2024 through Feb. 12, 2025: officers responded to the Winter Street address tied to Best Price 37 times; 27 of those calls were related to towing or trespass tows. Cerullo said his review found no documented violations of state fee rules or storage charges in the department’s records.

A member of the public described a January incident in which her mother’s car was being hooked up and she was initially told she would need to pay $100 in cash to stop the tow; the witness said the family later recovered the vehicle and complained about the company’s treatment and communication. The witness also said she had requested a public-records search and that the police had no formal complaint records for the company for 2024–2025.

Chief Bonilla said the department would begin keeping front-desk notes in the CAD system when residents report private-tow disputes so there is an accessible record even when a formal police report is not produced. “Instead of generating a regular police report… we’re gonna put those notes in the CAD,” Chief Bonilla said, adding the notes will help track recurring issues reported by name.

The committee approved three procedural motions by voice vote: to send correspondence to the city attorney asking why Best Price’s snow-removal contract was not signed; to contact Sheehan’s and Cody’s towing companies so all contracted firms are “on the same page” about procedures; and to table item 30-25 for follow-up. All motions passed by voice vote; no roll-call tallies were recorded in the minutes.

The meeting record shows several immediate next steps rather than policy changes: the city attorney was asked to explain the unsigned contract; the police department will log resident complaints in CAD; and the committee will follow up with other contracted tow firms and revisit the item at a later meeting. The committee also asked staff and counsel to centralize further communications through the committee chair to keep the review orderly.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to send correspondence to the city attorney requesting an explanation for why Best Price Towing’s snow-removal contract was not signed — approved by voice vote. - Motion to send correspondence to Sheehan’s and Cody’s Towing to coordinate procedures and expectations — approved by voice vote. - Motion to table item 30-25 for further review — approved by voice vote. - Motion to adjourn — approved by voice vote.

The committee did not remove Best Price’s license or revoke any permits at the meeting; members noted that contract authority and any revocation lie with other city or state offices and that the committee’s actions are limited to review and requests for information. The committee set a path to gather records, ask the city attorney for clarification, and reconvene with additional towing companies present before considering formal policy changes.