So in February 2021 my mother spun her car out in the snow on the right of Co. Rd. 89. It was stuck, but it was clear of the roadway. One of Waterloo's finest drove up and asked her what was going on. She told him about her roadside assistance, and that she had an appointment at the clinic a couple blocks behind her. Officer said that since her car was clear of the roadway he'd give her two hours to organize something before having it towed. I dropped her off at the clinic and headed back to where her car was. When I got there I saw two guys in a tow truck (from a company in Sun Prairie) hooking her car up. I asked them what the hell they were doing and they said the police called them and it is too late now. I called up the company and asked where they would take it and how much it would cost. The car would be taken to their agent's house and parked in his driveway, their ransom was $275, and if I didn't get there before 6 pm the car would be moved to their Sun Prairie location and they'd add $100 to the ransom as a 'gate fee' plus $25/day for 'storage'. Oh yeah, and they said the guy could only take cash! The guy's house was less than five miles from Waterloo. We paid and they gave her her car.
Now I know Waterloo employs at least two officers. So maybe officer A, who told my mom not to worry, never told officer B about it and officer B drove by, saw no one in the car, and called for towing. If that's what happened then it was just miscommunication, which sucks the big one when it costs that much. Maybe the tow truck was just driving by, saw some easy money, and towed it without being called by anyone. I wouldn't put it past them, there's not much a regular person could do about it without filing a lawsuit. Or maybe officer A told my mom not to worry so he could secure a tow from that company and get a kickback. It might seem unlikely but I have read a review of the tow company where a parent complains that they charged about $700 to release their son's car after spinning out on I-94 a few miles from Sun Praire. When they protested the cost the tow company said, "When the Highway Patrol calls us we can charge whatever we want." Either way it is very sus.