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Council reviews police take-home vehicle practice and on-call model
Summary
Council heard staff explain that three detectives currently have unmarked take-home vehicles (seven total take-home vehicles including command staff), cited a roughly $5,225.90 annual fuel/maintenance impact for the three detectives, and discussed response-time requirements, liability and peer-agency practices.
City staff presented a detailed review of the police department's take-home vehicle practice and related operational impacts. The presenter (City Manager) told council that there are currently seven total take-home vehicles (chief, lieutenants, an administrative sergeant and three detectives) and that the three detectives in question have a combined annual fuel/maintenance impact of about $5,225.90 based on June 2025–June 2026 figures. The manager said there is a one-hour response-time requirement for on-call detectives.
Council members questioned protocol and liability when officers travel outside city limits and stressed the need for clear residency or response-radius rules. The police chief described operational benefits: "Faster responses to major incidents... reduces a delay in evidence collection," and noted peer agencies often provide detective take-home vehicles and use on-call rotations. Council asked staff to return with trend lines, a breakdown of overtime and a clearer staffing-cost analysis to weigh against the operational advantages of take-home vehicles.
