If you read the general internet it's all mobbed up guys stealing cars from law-abiding single mothers for no reason at all but then again if I believed the general public about parking violation enforcement here in germany I'd come to the conclusion they're the new jews.
So how bad is that whole privatized towing / enforcement thing, really? Is there an actual problem beyond "it's a private company" or is it mostly carbrain tears?
i've heard of tow truck companies and places with restricted parking (like apartment complexes) in texas doing the "we took it upon ourselves to tow your car because we thought it was parked incorrectly. you owe us $1500 for the tow and storage please and thank you" stories. that exact thing happened to a friend in california who didn't drive every day, so they didn't know their car had been towed from the apt complex, racking up storage fees, for several days.
there's also an issue of police responding to auto accidents and calling in tows for the damaged vehicles. typically, the tower uses special rates for police-initiated-tows that cost the drivers exorbitant rates. most of the tow truck drivers i've interacted with are simply workers, putting in long hours at a dangerous job, helping stressed people deal with a major financial burden. there are surely owner-operated tows out there looking eagerly for a juicy opportunity to ruin someone's day. i think some states have laws that prohibit towers from spontaneously offering their services to discourage "that's a nice car you got there. would be a shame if something happened and you needed a tow" situations, and the tow request must be initiated by the driver.
think that's everything i know about the tow truck industry
further reading 1 and 2