Lincoln Towing Service sign | |
Company type | Private |
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Industry | Towing |
Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
Website | lincolntowing |
Lincoln Towing Service is the DBA name of Protective Parking Corporation,[1] one of the largest towing services in Chicago, in the U.S. state of Illinois.[2] The primary business location is at 4882 N. Clark Street, in the Uptown community area of Chicago in Cook County, with a second location at 4601 W. Armitage Avenue. The company was founded by Ross Cascio, who sold the company on January 20, 1981.[3] The firm became controversial in the late 1960s and 1970s, with Chicago Daily News columnist Mike Royko publishing several articles on Cascio's alleged strong-arm tactics, Aldermanic candidate Dick Simpson making the firm a campaign issue, and folk singer Steve Goodman writing a song about the firm, calling them the "Lincoln Park Pirates."[4]
The company describes itself as relocators who protect property owners from illegal parkers on parking lots with contracts for the company's services. Its business is parking enforcement, and the company does not provide roadside assistance.[5] The company, its relocators and its dispatchers are regulated and licensed by the Illinois Commerce Commission.[6] On September 12, 2018, the ICC revoked Lincoln Towing's Illinois relocation towing license.[7] However, a Cook County judge subsequently overruled the ICC's decision, reinstating Lincoln Towing's license.