Tow Manager
Dealing With Angry Motorists Violent Customer Ahead By Randall C. Resch
Operations Editor Randall C. Resch is a retired California police officer and veteran tow business owner, manager, consultant and trainer. He writes for TowIndustryWeek. com and American Towman, is a member of the International Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame and recipient of the Dave Jones Leadership Award. Email Randy at rreschran@gmail.com.
Author’s Note: This narrative is not an attempt to practice mental health, but intended as a basis of training only for tow company personnel dealing with angered customers and vehicle owners.
I
f you’re active on industry forums, violence against towers is one topic that’s been in the industry’s forefront for a longtime. Although current events suggest a new norm of social aggression, there’s evidence that tow company personnel may have culpability during tow related incidents gone awry. In some cases, vehicle owner’s become immediately violent only to initiate attacks against tow personnel. And, once the police intervened, it was later determined that actions by tow company personnel may have added to the escalation. Fact: Violence is a daily occurrence that happens without notice. Drugs, alcohol, family issues, divorce, loss of job, politics, or a host of other factors may push someone beyond the proverbial edge. Combine that with life’s realities caused by Coronavirus; the communities we serve are literally ticking time-bombs. In, Maryland, October 2019, a customer, irate over his car being impounded, went to the tow yard to get his vehicle back. A violent altercation ensued where a tow company’s employee was choked to death over a money dispute. Three weeks later, a Texas operator, gave a ride to a customer where an alleged argument ensued and became uncontrollably violent. In a (suggested) safety move, the tower photographed the combative individual and in-return was shot dead by him. Could that simple act of taking ones photo have pushed an already psychotic personality over his edge?
12 • November 2020 | Towman.com
THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS
As an industry professional, how much, “crap”, do you take when faced with aggressive personalities or potentially violent customers? Should you engage in-return, leave your customer to their own accord, or, do you respond in a level headed, non-violent manner? It’s said that the, “fight or flight syndrome”, is someone’s sympathetic nervous system at work, but, sometimes there just ain’t time to evaluate how your system’s gonna’ respond; especially when you’re staring down a psycho with a gun. I think you’d agree that we towers tend to be aggressive, “Type-A personalities”. We’re men and women of action, not trained negotiators. However, the nature of the industry immerses us in dangerous and potentially deadly scenarios. How you react to those, “immediate and in-yer’face”, contacts could be the difference in being injured or killed, or, to the opposite, improved to deflate a level of escalation. The industry doesn’t have, nor does it promote, psychology courses for tow professionals, noting, I’m not a mental health professional. I believe towers should be trained in some basis of how-to calmly handle and respond to upset customers and motorists. If you’ve got a short fuse, it might be challenging for you to avoid a violent interaction. This narrative isn’t about the dynamics of ANTIFA, or, “inciter mentalities”, but tow related situations known to go sideways.
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