Hewitt council reviews plan to let officers take assigned patrol vehicles home

At a workshop meeting on Aug. 11, 2025, the Hewitt Police Chief presented a personally assigned vehicle program that would allow full‑time, non‑probation sworn officers to take a single marked patrol vehicle home and use it for authorized police duties.

The program, the chief said, would assign each participating officer one vehicle "they will drive every day" and "they can drive it home. They can drive it to work," which the department argues will reduce idling, lower maintenance costs and extend vehicle life.

The city already obtained additional patrol vehicles after switching orders from Chevrolet Tahoes to Ford Explorers, the chief said, which produced six patrol vehicles for the cost of three Tahoes and left the department with a fleet sufficient to begin the program. "We do have enough vehicles at this point to move forward with the program," the chief said.

Why it matters: the chief told council a fully equipped Tahoe was estimated at about $97,500 and that prolonged idling and 24‑hour use shorten engine life. Citing a commonly referenced 2010 study from St. Petersburg, Fla., he said personally assigned vehicles can extend fleet life "anywhere between 2 and 5 years." Using a conservative two‑year life extension in the department's spreadsheet, the chief said the city could avoid roughly one vehicle purchase per year on average and realize an estimated $782,000 in replacement‑cost savings over an eight‑year period; an additional conservative maintenance savings of about $170,000 over eight years was also cited. All dollar figures were presented by the chief and shown in the department's materials.

Eligibility and limits: the draft policy, based on a model from the International Association of Chiefs of Police, sets eligibility for full‑time sworn officers who have completed probation. Officers must live within 30 straight miles of the city limits to participate. The policy specifies on‑duty, official police use only; prohibits unauthorized passengers (family members except via an approved ride‑along form); requires removal of firearms and sensitive equipment when a vehicle is parked at a residence; and sets guidance for off‑duty responses to serious incidents and for traffic‑enforcement activities.

Council questions and staff responses: a councilmember asked, "How many officers live outside of Hewitt?" The chief answered, "I'd have to actually go and count that up, sir. But just off the top of my head, I would tell you that probably half." When asked about expanding the practice to other positions, the chief said detectives and some command staff already take unmarked vehicles home and that code enforcement and animal control do not typically respond off duty.

Council direction: Councilmember Collins said, "As long as the council doesn't have really any reservation, we can go ahead and move this forward. Get it started." The meeting record shows no formal motion or roll‑call vote adopting the policy during the workshop; the chief told council the policy and related materials are signed off and the department is ready to begin implementation.

Background and next steps: the chief said the policy was adapted from an IACP model and tightened in several areas, and he briefed council on operational rules and liability safeguards (ride‑along authorization, dress expectations, and limits on off‑duty enforcement). The transcript indicates council members raised no formal objections during the workshop. The department will proceed with implementation steps unless the council registers reservations at a future meeting.