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Benson board agrees to expand police take-home radius to aid recruitment
Summary
Police Chief Greg Percy said candidates are declining offers because they live beyond the town's 30-mile take-home radius; the board supported expanding the policy to a 50-mile radius measured from Town Hall and will place the change on the consent agenda.
Police Chief Greg Percy told the Board of Commissioners on June 10 that the town is losing prospective officers who live beyond its existing 30-mile take-home vehicle radius. Percy noted the policy had been 15 miles in 2000 and increased to 30 miles in 2021; he asked the board to expand the radius to 40 miles as measured from Town Hall to improve recruitment outcomes. The board indicated support for a 50-mile radius and directed staff to place the policy change on the consent agenda.
The change is a personnel and policy adjustment meant to remove a geographic barrier to hiring; no new compensation changes were recorded in the minutes. The board did not record a formal vote on the radius change during the work session beyond signaling agreement to include it on the consent agenda.
