Gas Tab Mounts for Perks Misinformation

Tampa Bay Slime.
ST. PETERSBURG — While most city workers haven't had raises in four years, a police perk expanded by Mayor Bill Foster in 2010 saves police officers bundles of cash each year.
But it costs taxpayers.
Since January 2012, nearly one-third of the department's fuel budget has been gobbled up by officers who live outside the city and drive their patrol cars home, some to as far away as Pasco and Hernando counties, according to a Tampa Bay Times analysis of city records

The city doesn't track the cost of this perk.
"It's really an issue of being more work for us to do," police Chief Chuck Harmon said.

Nearly 80 percent of the city's police officers are assigned a take-home car that they can drive to and from work and gas up for free — courtesy of taxpayers.
Using city records, the Times calculated the fuel costs for marked cruisers based on usage and the average price of $3.47 per gallon paid in 2012 and $3.40 per gallon this year. The records show:
• Taxpayers spent $685,000 on fuel for 110 officers commuting outside Pinellas County. A patrol officer living in Riverview had the highest fuel tab: $12,979.

**** The fuel costs include miles driven when officers were on duty.**** The city does not track the miles that officers drive from their homes.

• Taxpayers paid $497,000 on fuel for 94 officers who commute to other parts of Pinellas County. For 152 officers living in St. Petersburg, taxpayers spent $635,000.
• As a comparison, 15 of the 30 cruisers with biggest fuel bills are fleet vehicles used by newer officers not eligible for take-home cars. The fleet car with the highest fuel tab: $13,054.
Meanwhile, the costs for the program are likely higher. With more than 450 take-home cars, the department didn't provide fuel usage for undercover and surveillance vehicles since it would identify where officers live.
When asked how much the practice cost in May, city officials only cited the overall $2.5 million fuel cost expected for fiscal year 2013, which ends Sept. 30.
Some City Council members want more details.
The paper's analysis shows the need to have an exact cost of the program since it has an "enormous impact" on the budget, Leslie Curran said.
"In times of tight budgets, there has to be a way to determine costs to take cars outside the city," she said.
Council Chairman Karl Nurse supports the program, but said the department should determine the cost.
"We know where officers live," he said. "It's just math. If it's a perk you're comfortable with, you shouldn't pretend you can't figure out the cost."
St. Petersburg's policy is similar to the city of Tampa's.
But Pinellas and Hillsborough sheriff's deputies who live outside their county can drive department cars as far as the county line. After that they must pay mileage to and from their homes. Pinellas deducts that cost from deputies' paychecks.
Mayor Bill Foster expanded the program in 2010 so officers could commute up to 40 miles instead of staying in the county.
The police union is one of the mayor's biggest donors and provides foot soldiers for his re-election campaign.
Harmon defended the take-home program.
He believes the cars deter crime when parked in neighborhoods, regardless of location.
It's also essential for stopping highly trained officers from going to work in other cities with the perk, he added.
"This is a benefit for the officers," Harmon said. "It's an industry standard."
Mark Puente can be reached at mpuente@tampabay.com or (727) 893-8459. Follow on Twitter @ markpuente.
St. Petersburg's fuel tab is high for commuting officers 07/06/13
© 2013 Tampa Bay Times 7-7-2013

Very misleading article with a negative agenda. All the articles the St .Pete times/Tampa Bay Times have done in the past to support take home cars because they save the tax payers money because the cars are in service a lot longer. The program actually saves the city a lot of money or they never would have gone to it and would not allow it to continue. The Chief should have been more vocal in pointing this out since it is obviously a PR problem. The farthest a Officer can live outside the city and get a take home is 40 miles. We only drive the cars to and from work and have to keep, maintain and insure a second vehicle for our other activities. The only perk is that we can keep our gear in one car and it saves the city money and it does save us money driving to and from work which we are grateful.

The article over states the cost of gas impact and states, Taxpayers spend $685.00 on fuel for officers commuting outside of Pinellas County. Come on really, I mean really. There is a earlier statement **** The fuel costs include miles driven when officers were on duty.**** Chief wake up and stop letting the Tampa Bay Times define you and the agency. Enough said...

Very misleading article with a negative agenda...The article over states the cost of gas impact ...

The gogo regime needs new blood.

How to Beef Up Gogo Staffing
One proposal is race-based hiring & promotions. Another is discouraging non-Burghers by eliminating the take home veh incentive. Yes! This will work! SPPD can have a homogenous force drawn from gogo’s backyard!

What’s the racial profile of take homers? Gogo knows.

Save even mo' money by letting criminals flee unimpeded. Bonus: no end of shift paperwork, no OT, no hot pursuit gas usage

Watts up with you overtime crybabies? Things I learned from my mentor -- be a baseball Resident Security Agent/Independent Consulltant. Don’t need no OT. Feck the rest of you, I’m SAFE. Read the bible -->
St Pete Slimes 12/7/1998
“Police Chief Goliath Davis III said overtime wages ‘warrant closer inspection’…’We're looking at a process to implement controls to make it such that detectives and officers don't arbitrarily do anything,’ Davis said.”

I have a thought gurgling in my lower intestine. Say that someone wants to help the youth of St. Pete. It’s long been rumored that certain “yoot” stimulate the Midtown economic engine. Drugs, robbery, car theft, check fraud, burglary. So I’m wondering if these yoot could use some help @ SPPD by means of the following . . .

Create a 5th Column. Put key people in units most likely to hold yoot accountable (robbery, YRD, burglary, auto theft.) Make sure those units have supervisors and hand picked underlings of the community-minded-persuasion so that they can undermine investigation/prosecution.
No self-initiated activity by officers and detectives a/k/a “don’t arbitrarily do anything.” No overtime, just put your head down – ignore those furtive movements and cries for help – because you must get off duty on time. And, above all, you must not criminalize the yoot.

Create a 5th Column. Put key people in units most likely to hold yoot accountable

2nd floor end of the hall interview room
Scenario -- Trail SAR

Interviewer: “Need to talk to you about something. You want to talk to me, right?”
Juvie: “OK”
Interviewer: “Are you sure? You’re saying you want to talk to me?”
Juvie: “Yeah, why not?”
Interviewer: “As soon as you open your mouth I might arrest you.”
Juvie: “Do what you gotta do.”
Interviewer: “I think you don’t understand what I’m telling you.”
Interviewer body language: :wink: :wink: :wink:
Juvie: “What you talking about?”
Interviewer: “Before we go any further, let me call your mom . . . . . .”
Interviewer: “Hello mom. I’m interviewing your son. You don’t want to give me permission to talk to him, do you?”
Mom: “No.”
Interviewer: “OK mom, I’ll meet you by the Fifth Column in front of the station so you can take him home.”