Tulsa PD Car Take-Home Policy Redux

[Gold]

On which issue?

You brought up the World and the taxes for newspapers among numerous issues.

I made an argument.

You are again inacapable of forming a complete thought.

You don't add much of substance.

It always goes back to the tinfoil hat.

[^]

[cannon_fodder]

Does the Bear live outside of the area?

Anyway:

1) Having police (and fire) live in the city limits or within X miles of the city limits is not uncommon at all.  For police, the understanding is that they will serve as a crime deterrent in the neighborhoods in which they live (particularly if they bring their cars home).   For fire, they need to be available for emergency calls.  The ancillary bennefit is having the economic benefit of tax expenditures BY the city IN the city.

Some cities require a tax of sorts if they wish to live outside the city limits.  I'd be perfectly fine with that requirement on all city employees.  A 1% payroll tax on all new employees who live outside the city limits of Tulsa.  It would encourage people to live IN Tulsa and help fund the infrastructure our city employees use every day to get to their city jobs.

"City limits of Tulsa" provides a large area to choose housing in.  From suburban feel, to downtown, to some areas that are virtually rural.   Otherwise the privilege of living in Owasso, Jenks, or Broken Arrow would cost a fireman or cop $500 a year.  

These are good paying jobs that draw a ton of applicants when they are open.  We pay 800 people ~$50,000 a year.  Some way of encouraging them to live int he city they "protect and serve" seems prudent.  The car thing is a step in the right direction.

2) But if he lived there, he can drive his own dang car.  At 58 cents a mile a commute to Broken Arrow was costing tax payers up to $4000 a year.  Allowing them to drive as far as they want and moonlight in their vehicles seems too generous to me.

3) BUT, studies have shown 1 cop 1 car policies extend the life of the cars.  The primary reason is because the officer is responsible for his/her car.  If it breaks down constantly they get eye balled.  If the seats go ratty or it is a constant mess THEY have to deal with it.

Add the bennefit of a cop car parked in your neighborhood and I'd say it's worth it.  Of course, the financial bennefit as well as the illusion of protection break down when the car is commuting to Pryor.

[Friendly Bear]

quote:Originally posted by cannon_fodder

Does the Bear live outside of the area?

Anyway:

1) Having police (and fire) live in the city limits or within X miles of the city limits is not uncommon at all.  For police, the understanding is that they will serve as a crime deterrent in the neighborhoods in which they live (particularly if they bring their cars home).   For fire, they need to be available for emergency calls.  The ancillary bennefit is having the economic benefit of tax expenditures BY the city IN the city.

Some cities require a tax of sorts if they wish to live outside the city limits.  I'd be perfectly fine with that requirement on all city employees.  A 1% payroll tax on all new employees who live outside the city limits of Tulsa.  It would encourage people to live IN Tulsa and help fund the infrastructure our city employees use every day to get to their city jobs.

"City limits of Tulsa" provides a large area to choose housing in.  From suburban feel, to downtown, to some areas that are virtually rural.   Otherwise the privilege of living in Owasso, Jenks, or Broken Arrow would cost a fireman or cop $500 a year.  

These are good paying jobs that draw a ton of applicants when they are open.  We pay 800 people ~$50,000 a year.  Some way of encouraging them to live int he city they "protect and serve" seems prudent.  The car thing is a step in the right direction.

2) But if he lived there, he can drive his own dang car.  At 58 cents a mile a commute to Broken Arrow was costing tax payers up to $4000 a year.  Allowing them to drive as far as they want and moonlight in their vehicles seems too generous to me.

3) BUT, studies have shown 1 cop 1 car policies extend the life of the cars.  The primary reason is because the officer is responsible for his/her car.  If it breaks down constantly they get eye balled.  If the seats go ratty or it is a constant mess THEY have to deal with it.

Add the bennefit of a cop car parked in your neighborhood and I'd say it's worth it.  Of course, the financial bennefit as well as the illusion of protection break down when the car is commuting to Pryor.

Pryor is outside of the 25 mile TPD commuting range, but I appeciate your argument.

Actually, the only obvious benefit to a police car parked in a Tulsa neighborhood is to the police officer himself.

Why?

Unless he has a death wish, a burglar would be unlikely to break into a house with a police car parked outside because he knows there's an armed and trained LEO inside.  

Burglars don't like armed residents.

The police car simply tells the burglar to find another house; just move over to the next street.

I do see a gasoline pump when I drive by the police station at 77th and Riverside Parkway.

I presume the officers use it to pump gas into their police cars.

I wonder if the City of Tulsa has a good system of checking the fueling amounts and fuel consumption used by individual officers?

A bad apple might game the system by filling up his police cruiser, driving it home, and siphoning out fuel for his personal
vehicle(s)........

It could be tempting........

Has former TPD officer Rico Yarborough been sentenced yet?

[Conan71]

quote:Originally posted by Friendly Bear


A bad apple might game the system by filling up his police cruiser, driving it home, and siphoning out fuel for his personal
vehicle(s)........

It could be tempting........

Has former TPD officer Rico Yarborough been sentenced yet?

Same with any other municipal or county yard.  I would hope you have to enter the odometer (or Hobbs time for equipment) on a fuel log or the pump when filling up.

That's the way fleet fuel cards work.  You have to punch in the current odometer reading before you fuel.  That way there is some accountability.  Someone might be able to shave a gallon or two here and there with this system, large-scale fraud would be rare with logging and audits.  Not a perfect system, and if no one audits the actual mileage on the vehicles it would be easy to steal it.

I'm curious if we use such a tracking system now.  Wilbur?  MH?

[MH2010]

Each TPD vehicle has it's own fuel card.  You have to put in the mileage before you refuel your vehicle.  If the milage isn't right then you get flagged.  There are audits all the time.  There is also an automatic cut-off.  You can only get so many gallons before the pump stops (the cut-off is different for different vehicles).

[cannon_fodder]

side note:  many gas pumps have a $99 limit on them.  $99 no longer fills many large vehicles tanks and thus they need two transactions to fill up.  Since they are just sitting there, the mileage is exactly the same so they get rejected by the fleet card.

Stupid oil prices. They are working on fixing it.  Remember when they needed to replace the "1" built in to the front of the price of gas and it was a big deal?

/tanget

[Friendly Bear]

quote:Originally posted by MH2010

Each TPD vehicle has it's own fuel card.  You have to put in the mileage before you refuel your vehicle.  If the milage isn't right then you get flagged.  There are audits all the time.  There is also an automatic cut-off.  You can only get so many gallons before the pump stops (the cut-off is different for different vehicles).

Whew, that's a relief.

[tnt091605]

Just in the last two weeks while working off duty jobs, I responded to:

1st degree burglary in progress where the suspect was caught.

Officer involved shooting of a wanted felony suspect, that was also caught.

A pursuit that the DUI suspect was caught.

A motorist that was stranded in the road.

All of this was possible because I was able to have my police car with me while working or on my way to an off duty job.  Yes this is also a benefit to me, but also to the citizens of Tulsa and the businesses that hire us.  That also pay taxes.  I know that many citizens state they feel safer entering a bank or other businesses with officers present.  The added benefit that we still respond to emergency situations in the general area of where we are working is a benefit to all citizens.  So what seems to be the answer is to find away for officers to still drive their car but the city does not have to pay the entire cost.

[cannon_fodder]

Thank you for your insight.  Perspective from someone involved always sheds new light on things. I did not realize you answered calls while "off duty."

How much of a hindrance would the "in Tulsa" restriction be in your opinion?

[Friendly Bear]

quote:Originally posted by tnt091605

Just in the last two weeks while working off duty jobs, I responded to:

1st degree burglary in progress where the suspect was caught.

Officer involved shooting of a wanted felony suspect, that was also caught.

A pursuit that the DUI suspect was caught.

A motorist that was stranded in the road.

All of this was possible because I was able to have my police car with me while working or on my way to an off duty job.  Yes this is also a benefit to me, but also to the citizens of Tulsa and the businesses that hire us.  That also pay taxes.  I know that many citizens state they feel safer entering a bank or other businesses with officers present.  The added benefit that we still respond to emergency situations in the general area of where we are working is a benefit to all citizens.  So what seems to be the answer is to find away for officers to still drive their car but the city does not have to pay the entire cost.

Sounds good.

Wonder if it's true?

Or, just sales hype during the TPD contract negotiations?