The Los Angeles Police Commission has set up a hotline for complaints about tow truck operators.

The goal is to reduce the number of bandit towing companies.

People who feel they have been victimized by towing companies that demonstrate unethical and illegal business practices are encouraged to call the hotline at (323) 680-4-TOW (4869).

An investigator from Commission Investigation Division, the arm of the police commission that regulates permits throughout Los Angeles, will be assigned to look into the complaints.

Police say bandit tow operators are different from law-abiding tow operators. Bandit tow operators illegally monitor police and fire department radio frequencies and unlawfully respond to the scene of traffic collisions.

Police say they often work in partnership with unscrupulous repair shops, attorneys and medical practitioners, or stake out private parking lots in order to tow away vehicles whose owners are not patrons of the businesses associated with that lot.

Other practices include demanding cash and excessive over charges.

For more information regarding the tow company complaint hotline and towing issues within the City of Los Angeles, please call Detective III Ben Jones, Commission Investigation Division, at (213) 996-1230.