JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- It’s a sunny, warm July morning on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, and Edison Minyatty, an assistant tow truck operator with JT Towing, is preparing to load a vehicle onto a tow truck. The 673d Security Forces Squadron attempted to contact the owner of the vehicle, but was left with no choice but to have the car towed.
According to the new policy letter signed by the JBER Installation Commander July 3, 2019 addressing illegally parked and abandoned vehicles, and JBER Instruction 31-118, Motor Vehicle Traffic Supervision Program, vehicles may not be parked on or along public roadways or non-residential parking lots for more than 48 hours except in designated long-term parking lots. Illegally parked and abandoned vehicles present safety hazards, especially in winter.
“If you have a bunch of abandoned vehicles in the parking spaces, the snow plows can’t get to most of the lot to plow,” said Duane Leventry, the 673d Security Forces Squadron lead detective. “They also become hazmat problems as they’ll degrade and start leaking fluids. Also, they attract crime.”
Long-term parking lots are available on JBER for service members who are departing for temporary duty or taking leave.
“If they’re going to be gone for 30 days, they need to make arrangements for that vehicle to be taken care of,” Leventry said. “As long as they’re using the long-term storage areas, there won’t be a problem.”
Boats, trailers, recreational vehicles, all-terrain vehicles, snow machines and other outdoor equipment must be parked in approved long-term storage lots or they could also be towed, Leventry said.
“The 673d Force Support Squadron has long-term storage lots designated for storage of that equipment on the installation,” Leventry said. “Parking them anywhere else is prohibited.”
When a vehicle is determined to be illegally parked, the 673d SFS attempts to contact the owner and tags the vehicle, Leventry said. If the owner can’t be found or doesn’t respond, the vehicle gets turned over to the tow truck company.
“The tow truck company has to hold on to military members’ vehicles for 165 days and then they will be disposed of,” Leventry said. “During those 165 days, storage fees are being accrued.
“The towing company can try to bill the owner through a collections process,” Leventry said. “If that is unsuccessful, ultimately the vehicle is going to be sold at auction and the tow company will recoup their fees based on what they get from the vehicle.”
If your vehicle was towed from JBER, contact JT Towing at 360-8282.
For more information about storing ATVs, snow machines, recreational vehicles, boats and other outdoor equipment on base, contact the JBER Outdoor Recreation Center at 552-2023.
If you need to store your vehicle in a long-term parking lot on JBER, on the Elmendorf side call 351-2481, on the Richardson side contact your barracks manager.
To report an abandoned vehicle, go to “reports” under Base Services on the JBER Connect app, or visit jber.jb.mil and find the icon on the right-hand side.