Council Bluffs remains under a snow emergency until 5 p.m. Wednesday. That means drivers are not supposed to park along snow emergency routes.
Though Council Bluffs Police towed about 30 cars Tuesday, they also did what they could to make sure residents were informed.
Street crews were ahead of schedule when they moved into residential streets early Tuesday evening.
One woman might've had her vehicle towed away had it not been for a police officer knocking on her door.
“Hi dora, how are you doing? I was just coming by. I came to check on your car,” said Officer Jackie Loughry, after Dora Lee Sassman answered her door.
It is the kind of stop Loughry likes to make. He made sure everything was OK after Sassman’s car was moved across the street.
“I could not have moved it. I do appreciate you,” she told him.
“Oh, that's fine,” he responded.
The 2500 block of Avenue A was clear Tuesday afternoon. Around 8 p.m. the night before, officers made sure of that.
Before street crews started plowing city emergency routes, officers went door-to-door, asking people to move their vehicles.
“They said in another hour another cop could come by and could tow my car. I said I can't afford that either!" Sassman recalled.
She suffers from chronic medical conditions. Loughry moved her silver Hyundai across the street for her.
“They checked on it again today,” she said. “Nobody ever reports the good stuff. I appreciate someone reporting the good stuff, and I do it all the time.”
She went all the way to the top to Council Bluffs Police Chief Tim Carmody.
"This is a partnership. This is a relationship with the citizens and we want it to be as good as it can be,” said Carmody.
The city did tow 30 cars overnight, including three stolen vehicles. They were on an impounded hold Tuesday.
Carmody says, as city plows move from emergency routes into neighborhoods, there are more obstacles. It's why city crews want more help from residents.
“If they move cars now, get them set up so we can get in with the plows, get the streets cleared, and move to the clean side, that's going to help our plow drivers,” Carmody explained.
Officers knocked on 300 doors Monday night. Sassman considers herself lucky and she is happy for the officers who took the time to help.
The city of Omaha canceled its snow emergency, lifting the parking restrictions, around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday.
