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Main Page Buy your police cruiser....
(Click here to view the original thread on the MassCops Message Board)

Posted by: Gil

Has anybody heard of any department where the officers have the option to buy a take home cruiser?

There is discussion at my department to give officers the option of buying a take home cruiser. The details are still sketchy right now but the gist is this...

The officer buys the cruiser for a weekly payment of around $80.00 for six years. The city would insure the vehicle as well as provide gas (within reason). The city in return would provide a weekly stipend of around $60.00 per week. Supposedly the stipend would count toward your retirement (selling point I guess).

Has anybody ever heard of a department doing this anywhere in the country?

Posted by: 94c

what if you blow the engine and the department says it's your fault?

Posted by: mikemac64

who maintains it (oil change, tires, etc). Not to mention major items. So it costs you $20.00 a week?

Posted by: Gil

Quote:

Originally Posted by 94c

what if you blow the engine and the department says it's your fault?

One of the questions we had too, that's why we are looking to see if another dept. is doing something like this.

Posted by: Gil

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikemac64

who maintains it (oil change, tires, etc). Not to mention major items. So it costs you $20.00 a week?

Basically that's what it cost. The officer provides the routine maintenance not sure about tires.

Posted by: j809

Why would anyone want to agree to something like this?
It's a win/lose situation, win for the city. You pay $36000 out of your own money for a car that was provided to you free before. Is it your vehicle, can you drive it off duty, like CT SP can, I mean if you agree to it, i would think the city should pay for everything on that vehicle, gas,oil,tires ,repairs, everything and municipalities are self-insured, so i don't see them paying any extra $$$ for insurance.

Posted by: Gil

Quote:

Originally Posted by j809

Why would anyone want to agree to something like this?
It's a win/lose situation, win for the city. You pay $36000 out of your own money for a car that was provided to you free before. Is it your vehicle, can you drive it off duty, like CT SP can, I mean if you agree to it, i would think the city should pay for everything on that vehicle, gas,oil,tires ,repairs, everything and municipalities are self-insured, so i don't see them paying any extra $$$ for insurance.

I think the selling point, other than your own car was the stipend would count toward your retirement. There was also talk of a tax write off to the tune of .41 a mile.

I'm not for it or against it, I'm just looking for information right now. It was one of the brass that came up with the idea not the city.

Posted by: andy0921

So would you guys get unmarked cars like CSP does? And just take the lightbars off when you off duty? Or would you be able to drive around off duty in a marked car?

Posted by: snapbox

I like the idea.. but i'd think you'd want them to have interior visor lights... instead of the removable lightbar (which I'm not a huge fan of).

Posted by: Gil

They would be fully marked cars for patrol officers, unmarked for dicks and brass etc... To be used for your job (details, school, patrol etc...) not for a Sunday ride with the family.

Posted by: USMCTrooper

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gil

It was one of the brass that came up with the idea not the city.

Then right off the bat, it has to be a bad idea.......LOL

Posted by: Mongo

Don't do it. They wanna give you take homes that bad then just let them give you them. It apparently serves them to do it. Let them encompass all costs

Posted by: JoninNH

The only way I'd do it was if I lived out of town. Otherwise, wait until they want to pay for it all.

Posted by: SinePari

Sounds like a way to have more visibility and off-duty officers covering things that should be covered by on-duty officers. For the officers, there is no benefit to this deal. For the dept there are huge advantages. You'll be incurring the costs of the vehicles' purchase price, incurring the costs of maintenance, the city will restrict your off-duty usage and gas, but will expect you to do everything they ask while not on the clock. Bad deal all around. When the brass/admin/city comes up with something like this, you'd better be thinking "what's their angle on this one"...

Posted by: firefighter39

Honalulu PD has a program for this. They call it a subsized cruiser program. Basically you buy the car, they pay all maint costs etc...

Posted by: phuzz01

Sounds like a load of dung to me. I'm all for take home cruisers, but not if I have to pay for the darn thing.

Posted by: USMCRoryT

I guess you have to look at all aspects of it. If you only live a mile from the station then that would be kinda silly.

Posted by: no$.10

...and then maybe they will LET you buy your own gun, too. And handcuffs, and uniform. Hell, maybe you should just pay them for the priviledge of being appointed.

WACKER.

Posted by: PearlOnyx

Gil,

Sounds like a horrible idea to me. The money counting towards your retirement isn't bad, but I can't imagine having to pay for maintenence. I just did my scheduled maintenence on my take home and put around $500 on the state credit card. The way that we beat the crap out of cars, I'm not sure the stipend would be worth it. Plus, I think just the idea of paying for the car that you need to work, is outright wrong.

Posted by: Dr.Magoo

Just say NO! If they want to give you a take home, then let them. But don't pay a cent out of your pocket. Rather take the money you would give them and put it into a deferred compensation fund (tax free) and it will pay excellent dividends when you do go to retire.

Also just realized this post was 6 months old. Who dug this out?

Posted by: RPD931

For $20 a week it doesn't sound bad. Most guys spend more than that in gas these days. But again, it depends on who pays for the maint. items. It's good if I read it as the Officer is helping make the payments on the cost of the car and the City picks up the maint tab (gas, oil, repairs). So $80 with a $60 kickback going towards retirement doesn't seem like too bad of a deal. granted it's $80/week but it's ultimately only $20 for the car and $60 fed into your retirement account. That will boost your retirement account by about $3,100 per year- not a bad investment. If the City/Town picks up the maint' costs, then I say "Not a bad deal". 75% of the cost is going towards boosting your retirement account.

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