Seized Vehicle Tow Lot

There was a problem at the seized vehicle tow lot of the police department in a major city. The lot had been designed with a capacity for 850 vehicles and now had an inventory of over 1100. Crowding caused safety issues and inefficiencies.

The Ben Graham Group was called and the entire process was mapped over a period of 10 days. Then, for four days an analysis team consisting of a police officer, vehicle technician, clerks and managers studied the maps. The team developed approximately 40 recommendations that reduced the average time that a vehicle sat on the lot from 28 to 21 days. These recommendations were approved by management the day after analysis was completed and were implemented over a period of several months.

The lot inventory dropped to 750 vehicles, well within capacity.