Fee's for taking your car home

[sargonkiadi]

I heard yesterday on Pulse news that Police officers will now have to pay a monthly fee to take the police cars home.

Is this fair?

[Justin Thyme]

The only reason that the city should be allowing police cars to be taken home is if it is a benefit to the city. If it is a benefit to the city then the city should pay the officers to take the cars home. If it isn't then the cars should be left at the station.

[cadillacdude1975]

for the ones that have take home cars, do you go to amnicola highway and clock in? or does the shift start as soon as you get in the car, start car, and key the radio that you are in service?

[Police Moderator]

We don't punch a clock. The city couldn't afford the overtime if we did.

We have to be at "line up" 15 minutes before our shift begins which is not paid time.

[sluggo]

Sept 1, 2009 13:45:57 GMT -5 Justin Thyme said:

The only reason that the city should be allowing police cars to be taken home is if it is a benefit to the city. If it is a benefit to the city then the city should pay the officers to take the cars home. If it isn't then the cars should be left at the station.

When I started at the City in 1978, all patrol vehicles were "line cars." That means they were driven 24 hours a day. The only ones who had take home vehicles were Supervisors and upper echelon officers. The maintenance costs on the line cars were enormous, because they wore out too quickly. When the take home policy was implimented in 1985, it was done in lieu of a raise. The maintenance costs plummeted, because they were only driven 8 hours a day (unless being used on an extra job, which was usually once a week.) If a repair was something minor, the officer would usually pay to have it fixed rather than sending it to the shop for repairs, which usually took close to a week.

Officers have to provide their own insurance to drive the car home. The benefit to the City was this: more vehicles on the street, and quicker respnse times. Anyone could sit behind the wheel of a marked unit and be just as much of a deterrant to crime as a uniformed police officer. That's because crooks only see the blue lights,and not the person in the car. That's the advantage of having more cars on the street.

[zodiacman]

Not fair at all. Crime has been increasing in this city at an alarming rate and now a main deterrent, police cars in driveways during off hours, is going to cost the officer? That is crap. This city is falling into chaos. I need to get a concealed carry permit or something. Or go get bitten by a radioactive spider... something.

[cadillacdude1975]

it is called a handgun carry permit in Tennessee, not a concealed carry permit. TN law allows for open or concealed carry if you have the state issued tennessee handgun permit or a permit that tennessee honors.

[snarkalicious]

Maybe Missy Crutchfield can use her enormous salary to buy a bus and give all the police officers rides to work and home again

[augie47]

rumor has it that it wouldn't be the first ride she has given..........

[duke]

Sept 3, 2009 9:41:22 GMT -5 augie47 said:

rumor has it that it wouldn't be the first ride she has given..........

Unsupported innuendo / accusation against an individual in violation of the rules of this thread.

[Police Moderator]

Unsupported innuendo / accusation against an individual in violation of the rules of this thread.

How about you trash the police and I'll police the Police Blotter?

If we disallowed unsupported innuendo/accusations you wouldn't be able to post 99.9% of your BS.

Comprende?

[duke]

Sept 3, 2009 18:17:48 GMT -5 Police Moderator said:

Unsupported innuendo / accusation against an individual in violation of the rules of this thread.

How about you trash the police and I'll police the Police Blotter?

If we disallowed unsupported innuendo/accusations you wouldn't be able to post 99.9% of your BS.

Comprende?

I understand perfectly.
Different rules for different posters.
Aye Aye. Carry on.

[Tsavodiner]

Snark and augie should have their bar tabs paid by any cop, every time, for life.

EXALT!

I hear duque off in the shadows, licking his kicked balls....

[Police Moderator]

I understand perfectly.
Different rules for different posters.
Aye Aye. Carry on.

Nope, same rules for everyone, duke, so I am glad you understand your standing here.

You post numerous stories daily that impugn officers by name, some based solely on allegation and innuendo and I have let that slide.

You want me to impose a strict a "no allegation or innuendo about anybody" rule here?

[bhmc449]

so, can I get in trouble for calling Duke a "carbon based douche bag" or is that already stipulated?

[duke]

Sept 4, 2009 10:20:18 GMT -5 bhmc449 said:

so, can I get in trouble for calling Duke a "carbon based douche bag" or is that already stipulated?

So long as as the poster is LE and the subject is not-LE, including duke, you should be OK.

Duke will simply consider the source. Duke already has thick skin.

[sargonkiadi]

Sept 4, 2009 10:20:18 GMT -5 bhmc449 said:

so, can I get in trouble for calling Duke a "carbon based douche bag" or is that already stipulated?

Likes that duke talked about himself in the third person.

On 95.3 pulse news an officer was talking about how he felt this new rule is going to affect the community. It will take away from other jobs in which he was being paid to "watch" stores, help after school in kids crossings, and other various tasks that they use to help pay bills.

It seems unfair to me, however I do want to consider the possibility that perhaps this was being abused. If that is the case and officers used cars for joy rides then by all means find other ways around punishing those who needed them to help better serve the community.

Sounds like Ron is the old bus driver, "if i see another paper airplane then all of you will be in trouble"

[Tsavodiner]

Duke already has thick skin.

Too much information; as it happens, I'm circumcised.

[Tsavodiner]

It seems unfair to me, however I do want to consider the possibility that perhaps this was being abused. If that is the case and officers used cars for joy rides then by all means find other ways around punishing those who needed them to help better serve the community.

Exactly.

I could name a handful of colleagues who haven't noticed a depression's on, who continued to haul the wife and kids to the store and day care;

BUT: that's exactly what they'd LIKE us to do, now that the horse's[ass] is out of the barn. There was just as much abuse in other branches of City government, and they and the Mayor know who they are.

The point is the shotgun approach used to cure the ill. As I mentioned elsewhere, you NEVER see a plainclothes Trooper in a THP car. Their policy is emphatically clear; our could have been, too, and the public could have easily called us out on it every time they saw a CPD marked car with plainclothes inside. The unmarked car folks could have been required to log use, and be on duty with the dispatcher whenever the car was in official use.

For God's sake, they study everything ELSE to friggin' DEATH, and hire 'consultants' at great expense to do it. You're telling me THIS was a no-brainer???

[cadillacdude1975]

i guess they are wanting the officers to reimburse the consultants expense, but they are using the cars as the excuse. i say it is bullshit to take the cars away. its not like you police make 95k a year, unless your freeman coopers or mayor littlefields personal ball scratcher.

i read somewhere a little while ago that the money that needs to be cut is the money that is wasted on shit downtown. 2 million or what ever to renovate the water area around the aquarium? how on gods green earth was that soooooo important, yet the police are loosing take home cars and now some police precincts are possibly having to close due to the budget reworking.

the economical structure of this city is so screwed it isnt even funny. personally, id like to see all those bastards (the mayor and the city council) get kicked out of town, and elect new ones to replace them. hell, lets get the hamilton county mayor in on that replacement agenda as well. anyone else know of someone to add to the replacement list?

[LimitedRecourse]

"Duke already has thick skin."

His radio listeners helped with that.