CA agencies with take home cars

[nobody33]

Just curious as to which department here get take home rides. In so cal, I can think of Escondidio, Palm Springs, and Cathedral city.

[LeeRoy]

Roseville and Fairfield.

[willowdared]

Originally Posted by nobody33

Just curious as to which department here get take home rides. In so cal, I can think of Escondidio, Palm Springs, and Cathedral city.

I was told why Escondido does - their force is small, so if they need a call-out, they want their units ready when they roll out the door.

[lsmalibu]

Folsom PD and Yolo & Sacramento County SO's that I know of.

[pipam]

the dept of insurance has take home cars

[LeeRoy]

I believe most if not all of the state LE agencies (except most CHP) such as DOI take their cars home. For sure I know BNE, ABC, FIsh and Game, Corrections LEIU/OIA, and DMV have take home rides. Also a fair amount of local investigators from all over the state have take home rides. I figured Nobody33 was referring to take home patrol car programs.

Add to the list Tehama SO, Clovis PD, Cloverdale PD, Gridley PD, CHP Resident Officers, and most of the resident deputy positions for all of the rural S.O.'s. At least half of the motor officers in CA take their bikes home. There was recently an article in the SacBee which said about half of Sac SO's fleet is take home.

Here's the SacBee article:

Take-home sheriff's cars targeted
Audit of department finds nearly half of fleet stays with employees, with no oversight to track usage.
By Judy Lin -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Saturday, February 25, 2006
Story appeared in Metro section, Page B1

Nearly half of the Sheriff's Department's vehicles are driven home by employees, an uncommon perk for a large jurisdiction that's costing Sacramento County taxpayers an unknown amount of cash, according to a full audit of the department released Friday.
About 45 percent - or 456 of the department's 1,009 motorcycles, cars, trucks and SUVs - are assigned take-home status and there's no oversight to track how often those vehicles are actually used to respond to emergencies, the audit found. There's also no monitoring process to make sure employees aren't driving the vehicles out of a 45-mile radius or using them for personal use.

The audit will be presented to the Board of Supervisors during a public hearing at 10:45 a.m. Tuesday.
The Sheriff's Department has declined to comment until then.

But the report has drawn fire from a taxpayer group.

"The misuse of cars is not only a scandal, but you'll find throughout government that it's become an entitlement that our officials believe come with the job," said Ted Costa, head of the People's Advocate taxpayer watchdog group.

The high number of take-home vehicles is just one of many concerns cited by Joseph Brann & Associates and the Public Strategies Group in their 124-page assessment of the Sheriff's Department's overall operations.

The county also has hired both consultants to conduct an in-depth look at Main Jail operations in response to allegations of brutality. That report is expected in June.

Some Board of Supervisors members expressed surprise at the latest finding. The percentage of vehicles being taken home rose to 48 percent when vehicles in the garage are taken out of the calculation.

"I knew there were vehicles being taken home - and there are reasons for that - but whether that suggests the best use of vehicles, I don't know," said Supervisor Roberta MacGlashan. "It's something that needs to be looked at."

Other comparable counties allow small numbers of unmarked cars to be taken home for special assignments or for top officers who are "on call," but rarely do they allow both marked and unmarked patrol cars to be driven home as Sacramento County does.

"I don't think I've ever heard of any marked cars being taken home," said Orange County Sheriff's Department spokesman Jim Amormino.

Fewer than 35 of several hundred vehicles are assigned to employees in the ranks of lieutenant or higher, said Santa Clara Sheriff's Department spokesman Serg Palanov.

Law enforcement officials say the practice of take-home cars has been used in smaller jurisdictions. In rural Tehama County, Undersheriff Dennis Garton said the practice has extended the life of the department's fleet of 18 marked and five unmarked cars.

"If there's a ding, I'm passing it on. But where I'm responsible, I take better care of it," Garton said.

Steve Fisk, president of the Sacramento County Deputy Sheriffs' Association, agrees the county should revisit its take-home policy but said there are anecdotal benefits.

He said the practice helps relieve parking congestion, serves as a visible crime deterrent in the community, and enables deputies to improve response time by cutting out a trip to the station.

Fisk said it's going to be up to Sheriff Lou Blanas - and his successor - to decide if any changes will be made to Sacramento County's policy. Blanas is stepping down at the end of the year.

Costa called it an abuse of the process and said employees should at least pay taxes on the portion when they're driving county-owned vehicles to and from work because it's a benefit.

"They should pay their taxes and help pay for some of the deficit," Costa said.

Right now, vehicles can be taken home if an employee is subject to a 24-hour call-out, if the vehicle contains specialized equipment, or if the employee begins and ends his or her shift from a personal residence.

However, the audit found that the department lacks a formal monitoring process to make sure employees aren't using the vehicles for personal use, going beyond a 45-mile radius or transporting family members.

Auditors found a reluctance within the department to change the status quo.

"We heard concerns expressed that take-home vehicles have come to be expected as part of the compensation package and 'no one wants to be the bad guy' to take vehicles away from individuals," the audit stated.

In assessing the $318 million department, auditors applauded Blanas for his support of community policing but said the next sheriff faces big challenges.

"This is a tool that will help the current sheriff and the new sheriff and the board make some constructive improvements to the department and its operations over a period of time," MacGlashan said. "This is not going to happen overnight."

The audit found that overtime pay has jumped 26 percent in the past year to $7.9 million. Meanwhile, the county is pulling $6.6 million from its rainy day fund to balance the upcoming budget.

More than 160 employees earned more than $10,000 in overtime and one individual earned $34,471 in one year.

Auditors warn of increasingly overcrowded conditions at both the Main Jail and the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center. There were a total of 4,389 inmates being held in both facilities in August for a Board of Corrections-rated bed capacity of 3,823.

The audit found property is poorly stored in a rudimentary warehouse with little security. And there's been no inventory audit for 15 years.

"Property and other evidence items are laying about in the open in paper bags waiting to be stored in a warehouse that is absolutely full," the report states.

[m_chevy]

Indio PD has take-home units

[coltpython]

Riverside Pd if your SWAT and Ocenside has started that program. I belive San Diego SO also takes them home depending on the area

[richjorg]

Bakersfield PD and Kern County Sheriff

[23queen5]

the County of Kings SO also has take home patrol cars

[aggienut]

Many of the agencies have conditions on the take home policy to cut the cost. For Roseville, I have conflicting reports....I have been told to have to live within the city limits but also that if you are within a 15 mile radius, you can take home.

[DOAcop38]

could NEVEr understand the fascination with "Take home cars" unless they are a "perk" for low wage paying Depts or unless you are in a specialized unit thats needed on call(k-9s ,bomb squad,homicide/major crimes dets,SWAT/SRT)-maybe its cool when you live in tranquil rural or tawny suburban areas- but large cities-its like advertising to every neighborhood butthole- "thats the cops house"(and guns ,$$ and goodies can be found there).I knew guys with take home priviledges,and they are "arrogant" enough to park the things right out on the street in front of their homes,often the areas they live aren't exactly where the "brady bunch" would have grown up.Having gone to alot of AOT classes with coppers from all over the state,and hearing the same war stories of dealing with local jerks-I'd never want a take home unless my commute was more than 45 mins- 1 hr away.better to be "anonymous" off duty and blend in.My Dept just had a CAPT carjacked while he was enroute to home off duty -took the crn vic plain wrap he was driving,gun,dept radio(which can access all of the other depts in the county,body armor,lap top PC, and sensitive LE info in his briefcase).Believe me,people could care less nor are they impressed or SCARED of the blk or gry 4 dr with the flip down lights in the next drive way.Leave work,and the liabilities of it,at work..........

[ask80]

i know SD sheriffs have the ford expidition take home for rural deputies.
i would not want to have a take home car for the above stated reasons. i like to keep a low profile. of course my darn neighbors had to find out because my BI contacted them.

i'm assuming all or most K-9 officers have take home cars?

if i did have a take home car, i'd prefer a non marked, non crown vic, with no spot lights, no push bumpers, no E plates...

[nobody33]

I've found that you don't have to take it home usually. It can be parked at a nearby station, or fire station, or just plain left at your station. Even an assigned car is better than a pool car. The new cars here have 50k on them and are beat to death and grimey. The gas cost and being able to personalize things inside would be nice.

[aggienut]

Originally Posted by DOAcop38

could NEVEr understand the fascination with "Take home cars" unless they are a "perk" for low wage paying Depts or unless you are in a specialized unit thats needed on call(k-9s ,bomb squad,homicide/major crimes dets,SWAT/SRT)-maybe its cool when you live in tranquil rural or tawny suburban areas- but large cities-its like advertising to every neighborhood butthole- "thats the cops house"(and guns ,$$ and goodies can be found there).I knew guys with take home priviledges,and they are "arrogant" enough to park the things right out on the street in front of their homes,often the areas they live aren't exactly where the "brady bunch" would have grown up.Having gone to alot of AOT classes with coppers from all over the state,and hearing the same war stories of dealing with local jerks-I'd never want a take home unless my commute was more than 45 mins- 1 hr away.better to be "anonymous" off duty and blend in.My Dept just had a CAPT carjacked while he was enroute to home off duty -took the crn vic plain wrap he was driving,gun,dept radio(which can access all of the other depts in the county,body armor,lap top PC, and sensitive LE info in his briefcase).Believe me,people could care less nor are they impressed or SCARED of the blk or gry 4 dr with the flip down lights in the next drive way.Leave work,and the liabilities of it,at work..........

I agree with much of your post. BUT...a couple things I have been told by officers who take home.

1. Its their car. They take it home and wash it, they keep it clean inside which in turn boost their morale and how they feel. (vs. a car that some other officer used and left their McD's stuff in).

2. I was told the a Chief REQUIRED the take home cars be parked on the street. Why? Because the unit acts as a police presence when parked out there. I can see why that would be a benefit for the community. Officers have told me neighbors LOVE living next door to take home officers for that reason.

However, everyone is different, every department is different. I can surely see how having that unit in the driveway could make you a target, particularly if you don't live in a nice suburban-like neighborhood.

Ultimately I think that its a judgement call by the department AND, finally, by the officer should he/she wish to take advantage of such a policy.

[ask80]

There was a LAPD officer who had a take home slick top who lived in the city I used to be a cop in. He was allowed to park his car in our police lot.

[SoCalFed]

I have a take home car now as a federal agent and in my previous life as a police officer. Any regrets? None. Is it a perk? Yes, it is, especially when gas here in Southern California is going for $2.80 a gallon. The federal government is VERY strict with take home cars. It can only be used for official on-duty use (i.e. no friends/wife/girlfriend allow to ride i the car and it is not for weekend shopping trips). If you misuse the g-ride, it is an automatic 30 days on the beach.

Now I don't drive a crown vic, so it doesn't scream "po po" when I drive down the street...okay maybe down Crenshaw. NONE of my neighbors know what I do. Most of my friends, who are also agents, drive a variety of g-rides, from a Honda Accord to a Chevy Trailblazer. All of them have concealed code-3 packages (i.e. no highly visible blue/amber rear decklights like some of the take home crown vics driven by some local LEO's.).

[ask80]

wow a honda accord with code 3 package? lol i'd like to see that