Car items stolen from impound yard

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? AZ

My vehicle was parked on the street with expired tags, and apparently towed while I was away on work. It's a car that I've been working on, that doesn't quite run right now.

I went to the impound yard to pick it up (tow it home), and noticed someone stole my radio and a couple items from the car, like a 200 cd book, some books, glove compartment is completely empty, etc..

The impound yard has signs claiming that they are not responsible for lost/stolen items.

Whether they stole the radio, or someone jumped the impound yard's fence and broke in, are they still liable for the theft?

If I let a friend borrow a car, and he decides to leave it in the ghetto overnight, and my rims gets stolen, I would assume he is responsible for being negligent. Wouldn't the same logic be used here, with the impound yard not properly protecting its' vehicles?

How do you know the vehicle wasn't broken into while parked on the street, before the tow? It was parked on the street, and you were out of town.

And even if it was broken into at the impound lot, what precise act (or omission) of the lot owners was negligent? Landowners are not guarantors of 100% crime-free property.

Have the police respond for a report of the theft.

Then, if you feel you can make a case for negligence against the tow company, make a claim and take them to small claims court. I have to say that most of the time the tow company wins in these cases, but you have little to lose by trying (except time off of work and court costs).

Part of the problem with making these cases is that it is hard to prove that the aforementioned items existed or that they were in the vehicle at the time of the tow. Plus, the tow company is generally held to the liability of a REASONABLE standard and not absolute certainty.

But, laws in AZ may be different, so go ahead and check into a small claims case.

You would NOT be able to sue your friend for parking your car in a bad neighborhood. That's absurd.