DETROIT (WXYZ) — A Wayne County Community College District police traffic stop is raising questions about the department's towing practices after a driver was charged a $100 fee — even after valid insurance was provided before a tow truck arrived.
Watch Randy Wimbley's video report:
Devin Calhoun, 21, was pulled over near 6th and Fort by the downtown campus on July 22 while headed home to the River Front Apartments for a rolling stop.
Calhoun did not have proof of insurance on hand at the time of the stop.
"They said it wasn't coming back in the system, but I had told them that we was like going through like switching insurance, so that's probably ... the reason why it wasn't popping up," Calhoun said.
Officers told Calhoun his car would be towed.
"They said I was getting towed because I didn't have proof of insurance," Calhoun said.
Calhoun called his mentor, Toson Knight, who bought the car for him. Knight says he sent proof of insurance to police before the tow truck arrived.
Despite that, Calhoun says officers still made him wait for the tow truck and pay a drop fee.
"The tow truck didn't hook it up at all. He came like 15 minutes after I already verified I had insurance, and I still had to pay 100 dollars for an unhook fee," Calhoun said.
WCCCD spokesperson Michelle Martinez Bassett addressed the stop in a statement.
"The safety and security of all WCCCD students and staff is our top priority," Martinez Bassett said.
"Yesterday afternoon, a driver was stopped for driving through a marked stop sign in a busy traffic band adjacent to the College, and could not provide proof of insurance; a check through the Law Enforcement Information Network (LEIN), maintained by the Michigan State Police, showed no active coverage, which prompted a tow per law enforcement policy," Martinez Bassett said.
"An email presented by the driver, purporting to show active coverage after the tow truck's arrival did not resolve the discrepancy as the LEIN network continued to show no coverage on the vehicle. Law enforcement did not have the ability to affect the tow and did not inform or initiate the drop fee applied by the towing company," Martinez Bassett said.
"WCCCD remains focused on traffic safety near campus, where unsafe driving has created ongoing concerns for students and staff," Martinez Bassett said.
Calhoun says the insurance was verified long before the tow truck arrived.
Knight is calling on the college to take a closer look at how it handles situations like this one.
"I would love for them to first address their policy. I just don't believe that we have to wait 20 minutes for a tow truck to show up and then pay a $100 fee. We showed you the insurance, it was all over. You made him wait another 20 minutes," Knight said.
Martin Towing told 7 News Detroit that if valid insurance was provided, the officer could have called off the tow.
Calhoun says he hopes the situation leads to change.
"I just hope in the future this doesn't happen anymore to any kids or anybody young driving," Calhoun said.
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