valid points from CPD board

For the citizen's who think take home cars are of no benefit....SUCKERS!!

With a take home car Cops go in-service AT the appointed shift time, and start taking calls immediately...frequently on the way to work. No load time, minimum roll call, all the gear is there and ready.

With a fleet car the first 30 to 45 minutes are spent getting a set of keys, finding the car that corresponds to them, setting up the computer, shotgun, citation book, gear bag, flashlight, and any specialty equipment they might be assigned...and hoping the guy who had it last filled up the tank at end of shift. And since fleet cars are ABUSED, hope that it doesn't need to be 'downed' for a bad battery or headlight...it's another twenty minutes to 'down' a car and get another.
At the end of the shift guys driving fleet cars need to head in thirty minutes earlier to get all thier gear out the car so they can hand it over to the next shift.
All you suckers who don't like the idea of paying for a Cops gas to and from his/her home get ready for this...your City managers choose to pay a minimum of 1 hours salary EVERDAY to each and every road Cop to ride in fleet cars with a ridiculously short vehicle lifespan when compared to assigned cars.
The City spends MORE money on salary for LESS road time for each Cop, and gets less life out of each fleet cruiser than an assigned car.
Maybe my math sucks but if the minimum rookie salary is about $21 hour, then that rookie would need to burn $21 in commuting gas for the City to have a valid point.
At 15 miles per gallon cruiser mileage, and $3 per gallon gas cost, A Cop with an assigned take home car would have to drive 105 commuting miles daily to equal the cost of that 1 hour of time spent loading and unloading a fleet car. That equates to a commuting distance from CPD main station to beyond Brooksville, round trip, and nobody lives that far away.
For many of the Cops that do live far away in West Pasco, that would be a 20-40 mile roundtrip commute, a little over 2 gallons of fuel ($6 worth of gas).

The City managers had the following choice:
$6 daily (less for those who live closer) for a Cop to work out every minute of the shift on the road with a take home car...or...$21 daily (minimum) for a Cop to work his/her shift minus 1 hr of useless unavailabilty.

I would rather pay out less money for a Cop to do thier job every minute of the shift, than pay out more money so they can spend an hour at the station.

The City managers need to hang thier heads in shame for making SUCKERS out of the tax payers in Clearwater. Give the guys take home cars.

Additionally when called in for THI, SWAT or even a Detective call out, the Officers can respond directly to the scene. How about this little scenario, lets say there is a Homicide (traffic or otherwise) at Sunset Point and 19, investigator lives in Dunedin or heaven forbid Highpoint. They will respond to either the main station or countryside to get a work vehicle (can't bring privately owned car violation of policy and or insurance rules) possibly passing the scene then returning, causing a delay in response, longer times for traffic to be blocked greater chance of loss of evidence. But the city will still be paying for the Officers time from when the leave the house, again greater cost to the city. Both in money and in delaying the investigation.
But as I set and write this I think that there are 4 types reading this, Cops and their supporters who will agree, detractors who will argue the point and distant observers who may agree but will do little to support Police either way. I drive my self to work, in a vehicle I pay for and insure, but rest assured I will not stop to help push a disabled car, I will not render first aid and more than likely I will not call to summon aid for those that may need it. But I would bet 90 percent of those Officers driving to work would do it, if they can do it safely even in their personal vehicle. Cops and Firefighters are a stupid lot, they rush to fires, explosions and bad people with weapons and you may say they get paid to do it, but what is it worth and at what cost. Would you rush to the sound of gun fire or even to the sound of a crash to do anything other than watch, and if you would what price would you demand no one does anything for free. Society as a whole is going to hell in a hand basket and these few people that rush head long to help those that call deserve every little bit of support they can get. Whether it’s a take home car, the best weapon available or a bullet proof vest. You know, after 911 everybody body loved the Police and Firemen, but it’s been 6 years, there is no immediate threat of attack and no major catastrophe for them to work 20 hours days at in the same uniform with few breaks and little rest so people just see them as a financial burden. But when it’s your door getting kicked in (by the bad guys), or your child or parent missing or in that car crash, you will want them, you will call them, and some will even pray for them, but only when it’s do to your need.

VERY WELL SAID!!!! You are absolutely correct in all of that!!!!!!! :D

[Sore Ears]

Very good post!!!! If the public only new how much better the take home cars are taken care of they would be surprised. The officer or deputy that drives that vehicle in most cases is proud of it and treats it like it is his or her own vehicle..when is the last time you saw someone putting tire brite or what ever on a line car.The difference is obvious. Oh bye the way it builds morale not that it matters.....

I am the public and I am in communications.

With budget cuts, take home cars should be given Only To those That:

1) Live outside of the city AND respond to calls on a pre-determined basis or regularly like Traffic Homicide.

2) Taken away from ALL STAFF that do nothing more then drive them from home and to work, but maybe the Chief can keep his :)

3) Given to All officers that Lives In The City for those reasons previously mentioned in this post.

That's all I'm sayin'

I am the public and I am in communications.

With budget cuts, take home cars should be given Only To those That:

1) Live outside of the city AND respond to calls on a pre-determined basis or regularly like Traffic Homicide.

2) Taken away from ALL STAFF that do nothing more then drive them from home and to work, but maybe the Chief can keep his :)

3) Given to All officers that Lives In The City for those reasons previously mentioned in this post.

That's all I'm sayin'

I'm not sure what you are basing your opinions on, however, studies done at a variety of agencies from the 80's, 90's, and now in this century have shown that take home car programs SAVE money.

Officers with take home cars tend to take better care of the cars, both with preventative maintenance AND not doing stupid things with them. (You know, a Crown Vic is not an off-road vehicle...)

So, if you go with the facts, a universal take home car program makes sense, because it saves money.

If you want to go with what just "seems right", well throw whatever opinion out there you like. The hell with the facts, right?

I am the public and I am in communications.

With budget cuts, take home cars should be given Only To those That:

1) Live outside of the city AND respond to calls on a pre-determined basis or regularly like Traffic Homicide.

2) Taken away from ALL STAFF that do nothing more then drive them from home and to work, but maybe the Chief can keep his :)

3) Given to All officers that Lives In The City for those reasons previously mentioned in this post.

That's all I'm sayin'

DID YOU EVEN READ THE FIRST TWO POSTS?