An SIA investigation uncovered a dirty little secret about the law, and how it works against you if you've had your car towed. Residents of the Timbers apartment complex were finding that their cars were disappearing within minutes of their walking away.

"It's a scam and they're making a lot of money," said Kevin LaChapelle, Director of SIA (Formerly Center for Integrity and Ethics). The law says a towing company cannot simply cruise around looking for cars to tow. A way to get around that is to have another company do the looking, contacting the towing company when a violation is found. SIA found that a towing company called Paxton Towing, is being notified of parking violators by a company called All Southland Parking Management. Both companies are owned by the same man, Bo Lemler. Lemler says his lawyers have told him that it's perfectly legal. SIA found that (towing companies) have been targeting low income housing and apartment complexes. According to Deputy Attorney General Al Sheldon, "The code does seem to say that the person who either owns the property or is in control of it needs to be physically present at the time of towing." The San Diego District Attorney's Office has set up a tow truck complaint hotline. The phone number is (619) 515-8608.