Maryland startup Appellate Technologies has raised $765,000 at a $10 million valuation for ASTRO, an app that automates police towing dispatch, sends vehicle owners text updates with location, and shares documented invoices with law enforcement and consumer protection agencies, according to Technical.ly. Castle Shannon Police Department in western Pennsylvania is the first customer; co-founder Chase Lawson said regulatory agencies currently "don't have any means to see if the tow companies are actually charging that price."
Operator takeaway
If this platform scales to your city, it changes how police rotation dispatch works. Officers submit requests through the app, the nearest tow partner gets auto-dispatched, and every invoice is visible to the PD and consumer protection. Know what this is before it shows up in your market.