DEPARTMENT OF POLICE OPERATIONS
June 2, 2026
TO: President Vanice Williams and Members of City Council
THROUGH: Wade Kapszukiewicz, Mayor
George Kral, Chief of Safety & Internal Services
FROM: Michael C. Troendle, Chief of Police
REFERRAL:
Do TPD officers at the tow lot do record checks on people picking up their vehicles and do officers deal with contraband in vehicles (guns, drugs, etc.)?
Would VMS do the same?
RESPONSE:
The officers at the Toledo Police Department Impound Lot conduct record checks on individuals picking up their vehicles to ensure they have a valid driver’s license if they are driving the vehicle off the lot. Officers occasionally find contraband left in vehicles, but it is our policy that the officer towing the vehicle shall do a complete inventory search of the vehicle prior to towing. If the vehicle is locked when officers towed it, a locksmith is called to open the vehicle so that it can be inventoried. Contraband may be found in that circumstance.
VMS does not conduct record checks on all individuals picking up vehicles. If a vehicle is towed for “suspended license” or “insurance,” VMS can create that tow reason in the system and store the vehicle under that code. VMS places a systematic hold on the vehicle and requires proof of a current license or insurance before releasing the vehicle. All holds are tracked and logged, and a vehicle cannot be released until the hold is removed. Additionally, a warrant notification can be entered in ARIES notes and VMS can contact law enforcement if an individual with an active warrant arrives at the lot. VMS suggests that the liaison officer assigned to the lot continues to run the checks on people picking up the vehicles.
If VMS finds contraband, they will isolate the vehicle and place it on an investigative hold in the system until an officer is able to remove the property.