OXFORD — The Oxford Police Department is implementing a new vehicle take-home policy.
“This policy will be used as a deterrent to crime, an enhancement to response capabilities and a cost-reduction measure for the department,” Police Chief Joey East told aldermen this week.
The board of aldermen approved the plan.
The Oxford Eagle reports that officers will not be allowed to transport civilians or family members in the car nor use the vehicle for personal business.
“Will they be using the vehicle to go to Walmart? No, that’s not going to happen,” East said.
East said allowing some officers to take home the vehicle could help with response times and reduce overtime hours.
East said the vehicles will be assigned to only those officers living inside a 2-mile radius of the city limits and the command staff will make final determinations for the vehicle assignments.
Police vehicles generally have to be replaced every two to three years. East said by assigning vehicles to an officer, versus having one car serve several shifts, it could extend the life of a vehicle by several years.
East said if an officer is supposed to leave his shift at 6 p.m. and a wreck happens at 5:45 p.m., the officer would have to respond, making him clock out well past 6 p.m.
If on their way into work a wreck is reported, East said the officer coming onto duty is required to respond to that wreck, allowing leaving officers the opportunity to clock out.
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