City has no place to store impounded RVs, says LAPD Assistant Chief

During Tuesday's police commission meeting, the senior staff at the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed they can't begin towing RVs that have lined the streets because there is no place to store them.

At the meeting, LAPD Assistant Chief Robert Marino said that while the city has 18 official police garages, the only one that can store large vehicles like RVs is already at full capacity. 

"One of the things the department is working on is safe sites for these vehicles," he said. 

The city has been looking for ways to solve this issue after they lifted the pandemic-era ban on towing over a month ago. 

But as the city continues to search for a place to store all these RVs, Marino said that crime has spiked near the homeless encampments surrounding the RVs. Residents in Marina Del Rey said that several fires have broken out near the many encampments surrounding the area. 

"I have driven down on Culver where there are small brush fires and that's a concern," 

Despite the lingering homeless encampments residents like Jenny West are worried about the people living in the RVs.

"If we had a safe place for them, that would be the best long-term solution," said West. 

Marino added that even if officials find the room to store the vehicles, there are few facilities in the region that will take the task to break down the RVs.

Also, in order for someone to be moved from their RV, the city requires that the resident needs to be provided a home in the meantime further complicating the already complex situation.