Dispatcher pleads guilty in Philly tow truck scheme

A former civilian radio dispatcher for Philadelphia police is pleading guilty to federal bribery charges and said she took money to help tow-truck operators circumvent the city’s efforts to crack down on dangerous “wreck chasers.”

KYW-AM radio in Philadelphia reported Monday that Dorian Parsley said she accepted more than $35,000 in bribes to feed information on sites where police needed tow trucks.

The police department has a program to rotate assignments among tow trucks to avoid conflicts among tow truck drivers at the scene. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Chun Barry says Parsley used her personal phone to text the confidential information to tow truck drivers who paid the bribes.

  • WHYY thanks our sponsors — become a WHYY sponsor

WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.

Want a digest of WHYY’s programs, events & stories? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal