Police chief reports positive early results from take-home vehicle program; council asks for periodic metrics

The Middleburg Police Department told the council on Oct. 11 that its recently implemented take-home vehicle program is functioning effectively, with reported morale benefits for officers and no significant maintenance incidents.

"Overall, actually increased the morale of the officers. They feel that they're supported by town council," Chief Jones said, describing the program's operational results. The chief said officers have used take-home vehicles for special events and community patrols, and that maintenance so far has been limited to routine items such as oil changes and inspections.

Staff provided averages for monthly miles driven and fuel usage and noted that training, court appearances and special events add mileage. Council members asked for clearer baseline comparisons. "Next time, what would be very interesting is comparables ... here's how it was before; here's how it was the first six months," Council Member Chris Bernard said, asking staff to show before-and-after metrics for mileage, fuel costs and maintenance.

The chief said the department will implement a tighter fueling log and data entry process so administrative staff can produce more reliable comparative reports. He also described steps to preserve spare vehicles by cycling them into service so cars do not sit unused, and daily lever checks by supervisors to log mileage and inspect vehicles for damage.

Council members asked whether the benefit included recruitment. "It helped tremendously. Our last two full-time officers that we hired, that was one of the reasons why they came here as well," the chief said.

Ending: The council requested that police present six-month updates including comparative mileage and fuel-cost data, maintenance records, and any adjustments the department recommends to the program.