Lincoln Towing Service
Encyclopedia
Lincoln Towing Service is the DBA
name of Protective Parking Corporation, one of the largest towing services in Chicago
, Illinois
. The primary business location is at 4882 N. Clark Street
, in the Uptown
community area
of Chicago in Cook County
, Illinois
, United States
with a second location at 4601 W. Armitage Avenue. The company was founded by Ross Cascio. Cascio sold the company on January 20, 1981.
The firm became controversial in the late 1960s and 1970s, with Chicago Daily News
columnist Mike Royko
publishing several articles on Cascio's alleged strong-arm tactics, Aldermanic candidate Dick Simpson making the firm a campaign issue, and folk singer Steve Goodman
writing a song about the firm, calling them the "Lincoln Park Pirates."
The company describes itself as relocators who protect property owners from illegal parkers on parking lot
s with contracts for the company's services. Its business is parking enforcement, and the company does not provide roadside assistance. The company, its relocators and its dispatchers are regulated and licensed by the Illinois Commerce Commission
.
tracking to provide towing services for landlord
s with tenant parking problems and for commercial property owners with similar problems. The primary business is removing unauthorized vehicles from parking spaces. The business claims the largest fleet of wheel-lift and flatbed
towing vehicles in Chicago. The business model is such that towing companies engage in exclusive towing contracts for properties and collect fees from owners of unauthorized vehicles that have been towed. However, the company also provides vehicle repossession
services and parking lot management services which include snow removal
, pot hole patching, striping, and complete parking lot construction. As a private company enforcing private property parking, the company does not issue parking tickets in addition to charging for towing and storage, unlike the City of Chicago, which does for parking in tow zones. It has towed over 30,000 unauthorized parked cars since September 5, 2005, which makes it Chicago's leading relocator.
Towing is a business regulated by the Illinois Commerce Commission and specifically by the Illinois Commercial Relocation of Trespassing Vehicles Law. These laws are found under Chapter 625 of the Illinois Consolidated Statutes at Title 5/Chapter 18A and Chapter 92 of the Illinois Administrative Code: Part 1710. This law regulates the activities of companies that tow unauthorized vehicles from private property in Cook
, Will
, Kane
, DuPage
, and Winnebago
counties. This law does not affect the towing of cars parked on public streets, companies who provide roadside assistance-related towing, companies involved in repossession
, or vehicles towed at the direction of local enforcement authorities.
Starting in 1967, Chicago Daily News
columnist Mike Royko
wrote a series of articles about Cascio, that continued for over a decade. Royko claimed that "to intimidate those who objected, Cascio hung bats, blackjacks, chains and other pacifiers on his office wall. If a person tried to escape with his own car, Cascio's men would dance on his chest." Cascio sued Royko twice, but lost both suits.
As early as 1968, complaints were lodged against Lincoln Towing Service claiming that the company was towing cars without legal standing and threatening people who tried to reclaim automobiles without paying.
In 1971, the company became an issue during the 44th Ward alderman
ic race. James Kargman, one of the candidates, called for a campaign to "hit Cascio in the pocketbook--where it hurts." Kargman worked to encourage several local businesses to cancel contracts with Lincoln Towing Service. In an interview, Cascio commented, "Most of these firms that canceled have informed me they'd be back after the aldermanic elections are over and the heat is off." Shortly after the aldermanic race, a mob
of 300 people attacked a Lincoln Towing employee who was removing a car from a parking lot.
The Chicago City Council
debated taking actions against the firm.
In 1972, Chicago folk singer Steve Goodman
wrote the song "Lincoln Park Pirates" about Lincoln Towing Service. Although he originally only performed the song in Chicago, he was eventually convinced that the sentiments of the song were recognizable outside Chicago. Although initially Chicago stations would not play the song with Ross Cascio's name in it for fear of lawsuits, eventually it became known that Cascio was proud of the song and airplay followed.
In 1992, the firm, then headed by Steve Mash, was charged with possession of stolen vehicles after detectives witnessed the company's employees tow a car and the next day witnessed employees strip the car and transfer the materials to a scrap metal recycling company. The company and Mash were acquitted of the charges.
According to Illinois Commerce Commission Police Commander Craig Baner, Lincoln Towing Service had 2078 complaints from 2000-2005. However, with the volume of business the towing service conducts, the complaint rates are comparable with other towing companies in Illinois. During the same period, Lincoln Towing issued 139 full refunds, a percentage which Baner says the towing service compares with other companies.
Doing business as
The phrase "doing business as" is a legal term used in the United States, meaning that the trade name, or fictitious business name, under which the business or operation is conducted and presented to the world is not the legal name of the legal person who actually own it and are responsible for it...
name of Protective Parking Corporation, one of the largest towing services in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. The primary business location is at 4882 N. Clark Street
Clark Street (Chicago)
Clark Street is a north-south street in Chicago, Illinois that runs close to the shore of Lake Michigan from the northern city boundary with Evanston, to 2200 South in the city street numbering system...
, in the Uptown
Uptown, Chicago
Uptown is one of Chicago’s 77 community areas. Uptown has well defined boundaries. They are: Foster on the north; Lake Michigan on the east; Montrose , and Irving Park on the south; Ravenswood , and Clark on the west. Uptown borders three community areas and Lake Michigan...
community area
Community areas of Chicago
Community areas in Chicago refers to the work of the Social Science Research Committee at University of Chicago which has unofficially divided the City of Chicago into 77 community areas. These areas are well-defined and static...
of Chicago in Cook County
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with a second location at 4601 W. Armitage Avenue. The company was founded by Ross Cascio. Cascio sold the company on January 20, 1981.
The firm became controversial in the late 1960s and 1970s, with Chicago Daily News
Chicago Daily News
The Chicago Daily News was an afternoon daily newspaper published between 1876 and 1978 in Chicago, Illinois.-History:The Daily News was founded by Melville E. Stone, Percy Meggy, and William Dougherty in 1875 and began publishing early the next year...
columnist Mike Royko
Mike Royko
Michael "Mike" Royko was a newspaper columnist in Chicago, who won the 1972 Pulitzer Prize for commentary...
publishing several articles on Cascio's alleged strong-arm tactics, Aldermanic candidate Dick Simpson making the firm a campaign issue, and folk singer Steve Goodman
Steve Goodman
Steve Goodman was an American folk music singer-songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. The writer of "City of New Orleans", made popular by Arlo Guthrie, Goodman won two Grammy Awards.-Personal life:...
writing a song about the firm, calling them the "Lincoln Park Pirates."
The company describes itself as relocators who protect property owners from illegal parkers on parking lot
Parking lot
A parking lot , also known as car lot, is a cleared area that is intended for parking vehicles. Usually, the term refers to a dedicated area that has been provided with a durable or semi-durable surface....
s with contracts for the company's services. Its business is parking enforcement, and the company does not provide roadside assistance. The company, its relocators and its dispatchers are regulated and licensed by the Illinois Commerce Commission
Illinois Commerce Commission
The Illinois Commerce Commission is a quasi-judicial tribunal which regulates public utility services in the U.S. state of Illinois. The mission of the ICC is "to pursue an appropriate balance between the interest of consumers and existing and emerging service providers to ensure the provision of...
.
Business
Lincoln uses state of the art technology including satelliteSatellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
tracking to provide towing services for landlord
Landlord
A landlord is the owner of a house, apartment, condominium, or real estate which is rented or leased to an individual or business, who is called a tenant . When a juristic person is in this position, the term landlord is used. Other terms include lessor and owner...
s with tenant parking problems and for commercial property owners with similar problems. The primary business is removing unauthorized vehicles from parking spaces. The business claims the largest fleet of wheel-lift and flatbed
Flatbed
Flatbed may refer to:* Flatbed digital printer, the reproduction of digital images on physical surfaces* Flatbed editor, a type of machine used for the editing of a motion picture film...
towing vehicles in Chicago. The business model is such that towing companies engage in exclusive towing contracts for properties and collect fees from owners of unauthorized vehicles that have been towed. However, the company also provides vehicle repossession
Repossession
Repossession is generally used to refer to a financial institution taking back an object that was either used as collateral or rented or leased in a transaction. Repossession is a "self-help" type of action in which the party having right of ownership of the property in question takes the property...
services and parking lot management services which include snow removal
Snow removal
Snow removal is the job of removing snow after a snowfall to make travel easier and safer. This is done by both individual households and by governments and institutions.-De-icing and anti-icing:...
, pot hole patching, striping, and complete parking lot construction. As a private company enforcing private property parking, the company does not issue parking tickets in addition to charging for towing and storage, unlike the City of Chicago, which does for parking in tow zones. It has towed over 30,000 unauthorized parked cars since September 5, 2005, which makes it Chicago's leading relocator.
Towing is a business regulated by the Illinois Commerce Commission and specifically by the Illinois Commercial Relocation of Trespassing Vehicles Law. These laws are found under Chapter 625 of the Illinois Consolidated Statutes at Title 5/Chapter 18A and Chapter 92 of the Illinois Administrative Code: Part 1710. This law regulates the activities of companies that tow unauthorized vehicles from private property in Cook
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
, Will
Will County, Illinois
As of the census of 2000, there were 502,266 people, 167,542 households, and 131,017 families residing in the county. The population density was 600 people per square mile . There were 175,524 housing units at an average density of 210 per square mile...
, Kane
Kane County, Illinois
Kane County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 515,269, which is an increase of 27.5% from 404,119 in 2000. Its county seat is Geneva, and its largest city is Aurora.- Geography :...
, DuPage
DuPage County, Illinois
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 916,924, White Americans made up 77.9% of Dupage County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 70.5% of the population. Black Americans made up 4.6% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.3% of Dupage County's population...
, and Winnebago
Winnebago County, Illinois
Winnebago County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 295,266, which is an increase of 6.1% from 278,418 in 2000...
counties. This law does not affect the towing of cars parked on public streets, companies who provide roadside assistance-related towing, companies involved in repossession
Repossession
Repossession is generally used to refer to a financial institution taking back an object that was either used as collateral or rented or leased in a transaction. Repossession is a "self-help" type of action in which the party having right of ownership of the property in question takes the property...
, or vehicles towed at the direction of local enforcement authorities.
Controversies
Chicago Daily News
The Chicago Daily News was an afternoon daily newspaper published between 1876 and 1978 in Chicago, Illinois.-History:The Daily News was founded by Melville E. Stone, Percy Meggy, and William Dougherty in 1875 and began publishing early the next year...
columnist Mike Royko
Mike Royko
Michael "Mike" Royko was a newspaper columnist in Chicago, who won the 1972 Pulitzer Prize for commentary...
wrote a series of articles about Cascio, that continued for over a decade. Royko claimed that "to intimidate those who objected, Cascio hung bats, blackjacks, chains and other pacifiers on his office wall. If a person tried to escape with his own car, Cascio's men would dance on his chest." Cascio sued Royko twice, but lost both suits.
As early as 1968, complaints were lodged against Lincoln Towing Service claiming that the company was towing cars without legal standing and threatening people who tried to reclaim automobiles without paying.
In 1971, the company became an issue during the 44th Ward alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
ic race. James Kargman, one of the candidates, called for a campaign to "hit Cascio in the pocketbook--where it hurts." Kargman worked to encourage several local businesses to cancel contracts with Lincoln Towing Service. In an interview, Cascio commented, "Most of these firms that canceled have informed me they'd be back after the aldermanic elections are over and the heat is off." Shortly after the aldermanic race, a mob
Riot
A riot is a form of civil disorder characterized often by what is thought of as disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of violence against authority, property or people. While individuals may attempt to lead or control a riot, riots are thought to be typically chaotic and...
of 300 people attacked a Lincoln Towing employee who was removing a car from a parking lot.
The Chicago City Council
Chicago City Council
The Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the City of Chicago in Illinois. It consists of 50 aldermen elected from 50 wards to serve four-year terms...
debated taking actions against the firm.
In 1972, Chicago folk singer Steve Goodman
Steve Goodman
Steve Goodman was an American folk music singer-songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. The writer of "City of New Orleans", made popular by Arlo Guthrie, Goodman won two Grammy Awards.-Personal life:...
wrote the song "Lincoln Park Pirates" about Lincoln Towing Service. Although he originally only performed the song in Chicago, he was eventually convinced that the sentiments of the song were recognizable outside Chicago. Although initially Chicago stations would not play the song with Ross Cascio's name in it for fear of lawsuits, eventually it became known that Cascio was proud of the song and airplay followed.
In 1992, the firm, then headed by Steve Mash, was charged with possession of stolen vehicles after detectives witnessed the company's employees tow a car and the next day witnessed employees strip the car and transfer the materials to a scrap metal recycling company. The company and Mash were acquitted of the charges.
According to Illinois Commerce Commission Police Commander Craig Baner, Lincoln Towing Service had 2078 complaints from 2000-2005. However, with the volume of business the towing service conducts, the complaint rates are comparable with other towing companies in Illinois. During the same period, Lincoln Towing issued 139 full refunds, a percentage which Baner says the towing service compares with other companies.