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Mayor Dobie defends take-home police vehicles, says no city ordinance requires employee residency
Summary
A resident’s letter asked why some city employees live outside Torrington and why officers use city vehicles for long commutes. Mayor Dobie explained the police department’s 1-to-1 vehicle policy and said state law requires elected officials to be city residents but does not require city employees to live in town.
TORRINGTON, Wyo. — At the June 16 Torrington City Council meeting, Mayor Dobie read a letter from resident Jim Allen asking the council to record answers about city employees living outside the city and police officers using city vehicles for long commutes.
The mayor described the Police Department’s 1-to-1 vehicle operations, saying the practice began around 2019–2020 and that the agency maintains roughly 18 assigned vehicles (two CSO vehicles, one detective vehicle, two admin vehicles, one for the chief and assistant chief, two SRO vehicles and 11 patrol vehicles). "The agency currently maintains a fleet of 18 vehicles ... The benefits of this program are as follows: emergency response," Mayor Dobie said, adding that he could recall four incidents since June 2020 in which off-duty response by personnel contributed significantly.
Mayor Dobie told the council and the public that, by state statute, elected municipal officers (mayor and council members) must be residents of the municipality, but he said he and the city attorney found no statute or city ordinance requiring city employees to live inside Torrington. "There is no law ... that requires city staff or city employees to be residents of the city of Torrington," he said.
The mayor described operational benefits of the take-home policy — faster emergency response, schedule flexibility, lower shift-preparation cost and improved vehicle maintenance — and said the city’s retention record has been unusually strong, with the department fully staffed and low turnover for roughly 3.5 years.
Council members in the meeting supported the mayor’s reading of the law. Councilman Deal said he researched statutes and city ordinances and found nothing that would validate the allegation of a double standard. Councilman Victorin added that elected officials represent the electorate and thus have residency obligations distinct from those of staff.
The letter by Jim Allen was entered into the public record and the mayor provided the council’s response on the record. The council did not direct staff to change the take-home policy during the meeting.
