IMAGE: STEPHEN VOSS

Gaylord, the city's towing coordinator, and her boss, City Commissioner Randy Leonard, are working to curb the city's 30 or so towing companies.

They're not worried about 4,000 cars and trucks towed monthly from public property or on orders from police or other government entities. Those are done under contract with the city, which limits charges to about $105 for a basic tow.

Tows from private property, however, are currently a motorized version of the Wild West. "There are very few rules for private tows," Gaylord says.

The result is what some towees say are astronomical charges and business practices that would make Jesse James proud. "These guys get away with murder," says Charles Long, whose tangle with a towing company earlier this summer set him back nearly $500.

So-called "private-property impounds" occur when drivers such as Long park in private lots bearing some variation of a "violators will be towed" sign. Gaylord says such tows are far less common--there are about 200 per month--but far more likely to generate complaints.

Under a proposed ordinance, companies would be limited to the fee the city pays, which is a far cry from the $225 average charge for private-impound tows.

Companies would also be prohibited from their current practice of paying parking-lot owners cash bounties for each car towed. Towers would have to register the lots they work (at least one high-traffic lot is currently claimed by two separate companies) and would have to offer transportation to vehicle owners, who are often left stranded.

Gaylord also hopes to put an end to what she calls "predatory towing." At least five written complaints in the past few months identify the parking lot of Far East Kitchen, a defunct restaurant near the corner of Southeast 82nd Avenue and Cora Street, as the epicenter of this practice.

Many who park there are making a quick trip into the Eastport Liquor Store. Store clerk Amy Maes says Safeguard Towing Inc. has a spotter with a cell phone watching the lot and a truck lurking nearby. "I think they got seven cars last Friday night," Maes says. "We tell people to watch out, but those guys are fast."

Long parked in the lot earlier this summer. He says he was in the liquor store only long enough to buy a lottery ticket but when he came out, a Safeguard driver insisted on hooking up his Ford F-250 pickup, which had a Bayliner boat trailered to the back.

When Long arrived at Safeguard's impound lot less than two hours later, he had to fork over $474 to get his vehicle and boat back.

Bill Hayden, the owner of Safeguard Towing, says he doesn't have a spotter at the lot, but the owner may be calling in the requests.

"If our customer complains, we have to be somewhat aggressive," says Hayden, who opposes the city's plans to put a limit on what he charges. "We charge a lot of money, but it costs us a lot per impound."

Gaylord says the city will hold a hearing about the proposed new towing rules in the next month.