Towing Issues: scavenger towing law, city of cerritos, tow driver

Question
QUESTION: my friend just had his car towed in the city of Cerritos for parking in a permit only parking spot. A cop was there and called a tow truck, my friend arrived back to the vehaicle 20 minutes before the tow truck arrived but the cop insisted he not move his vehicle and wait for the tow truck to impound his vehicle. Is it legal for the cop to make him stay and wait or was he allowed to leave with just a citation?

ANSWER: It depends on whether it was private property or a street or roadway. What state are you in? The officer could have canceled the wrecker or just allowed him to pay the wrecker for having to come out. Give me some more info and I will see what I can find out.

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QUESTION: I am in California, the incident happened in Cerritos (Los Angeles County). After I had asked the question, I found out that no citation was given the officer simply wanted to have the car towed. Also the car was on private property in a parking lot of a business. The tow driver said the officer had towed 6 cars that night and that 9 out of 10 calls each day come from the same officer. Something doesn't seem right about this at all.

Answer
It definitely sounds like something is not right. I would recommend starting with the police department to file a complaint. California law is easily accessible on line and has complete info about towing laws. They also have a procedure for contesting a tow.