Cops need 'off duty' wheels

No question, there's a cost to Salt Lake City Corp. when city police officers drive their police cruisers home. But there are immeasurable benefits to patrol cars on the road or parked at residences or businesses. It is not an exaggeration to suggest the presence of a patrol car helps to curb crime or encourages drivers to obey speed limits and other traffic-safety laws.

But Mayor Rocky Anderson's administration contends that increases in fuel costs have rendered it too expensive for the city to permit police officers to drive the cars home or use them for off-duty business purposes. Anderson has proposed to alter the vehicle take-home policy by charging officers who live within a 25-mile radius of City Hall $25 a month to drive their vehicles home and increase the fees now assessed officers who reside outside that radius.

Anderson and members of the City Council have a duty to ensure city resources are used efficiently. But this is one instance in which it is impossible to determine how many crimes or offenses are deterred by the presence of patrol cars in certain neighborhoods, even if those neighborhoods are not in Salt Lake City. Under the arrangement, any time an officer uses the city vehicle he or she must carry a weapon, listen to the police radio and respond to calls for assistance. In that respect, the public receives police protection even when an officer is not technically on the clock. The vehicles are not to be used for personal use.

In the interest of keeping good relations between City Hall and the police union, Anderson should meet with police association officials to discuss their concerns about this proposal. Earlier, the city's police and fire unions proposed charging a $1 per hour surcharge to entities that hire off-duty officers to help cover the cost of using city vehicles. That was not included in Anderson's proposal.

Seemingly, more can be done to streamline the city budget under existing policy. All programs should receive equal scrutiny to ensure they are essential services and operate in a cost-effective manner. Otherwise, they, too, should be subject to the budget ax.