Resident alleges Palm Bay command staff use city vehicles for personal use; urges body cameras and online reporting

A resident during the public-comment portion of Monday’s Palm Bay budget workshop alleged that lieutenants and command staff are authorized to use city police vehicles for personal use, including family rides and off-duty travel, and urged the council to use possible savings to buy body cameras and online reporting software.

"One of the best kept secrets in the public police department is that lieutenants and command staff members are allowed to use their city vehicles for personal use," the speaker said, alleging the policy permits family members to ride in those vehicles and that the practice extends across county lines. The commenter estimated that restricting such use could save taxpayers "on most conservative estimates $45,000 a year."

The speaker also described prior uses of on-duty personnel and SWAT deployments and recommended reallocating savings to purchase body cameras for command staff and to fund online reporting tools to reduce officer response to minor incidents.

Council members acknowledged the public comment and noted the council’s ongoing interest in accountability and public-safety budgeting, but no formal motion or vote followed from the workshop record. The council’s budget discussion that followed focused primarily on millage, public-safety equipment and capital allocations rather than immediate policy changes to departmental vehicle rules.

The city did not provide a direct response or denial on the record during the workshop; staff and council members encouraged continued review of budget priorities and operational audits referenced elsewhere in the presentation. Residents seeking action or clarification may raise the matter at the scheduled budget public hearings on Sept. 8 and Sept. 24, or request a future agenda item that addresses vehicle-use policy.