SOUNDING OFF:

Towing service is a needed and important component of public safety. MetroPro Road Services is a towing company that assists the Huntington Beach Police Department in fulfilling its pledge, “to protect and serve.”

Instead of spending the Fourth of July holiday with their families, MetroPro employees assisted the police department with tow services when the police deemed it to be necessary in the interest of public safety.

In a recent letter to the editor, (“Signage needed before towing cars,” July 17), many allegations and insinuations were made about MetroPro that were, quite simply, lies.

To set the record straight, MetroPro did not tow one vehicle from the Edison High School parking lot. Not one.

Additionally, MetroPro did not tow a single vehicle on the Fourth of July without the specific direction of the police department. MetroPro did, in fact, tow numerous vehicles that day at the request of the police department because the vehicles were illegally parked on Pacific Coast Highway.

Because of the precarious location of these illegally parked vehicles, MetroPro used light-duty Wheelift trucks in order to lessen potential traffic congestion and provide speedy service for the officers. These towed vehicles were subsequently transferred to flatbed tow trucks at locations away from Pacific Coast Highway and taken to the impound facility. Transferring these vehicles allowed MetroPro to promptly return to assist officers who were working in a high-traffic and, thus, unsafe location.

While some may sympathize with those who park illegally, which causes a public safety hazard and a potential traffic nightmare, I believe most would side with law enforcement, which is trying to make the Fourth of July — and every other day of the year — a peaceful and enjoyable day for all.

At MetroPro, we are proud of our honest, ethical and reliable service, and we will not stand for unsubstantiated libelous falsehoods stated about our company. If the author of the article that appeared on July 17 had taken minimal steps to investigate her concerns, she would have correctly found no improprieties.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Joanne Milichich, the author of the July 17 letter in question, has since contacted MetroPro and learned that the cars she thought were being towed at Edison High School were just part of a holding area. The cars had originally been towed from Pacific Coast Highway, where they were parked illegally. She has stated in a letter, “To the crews at MetroPro, I am sorry for any bad impression [my first letter] gave your company.”

ROGER FAUBEL is a communications consultant with MetroPro Road Services.