Salt Lake tightening take-home car policy for officers

Modifications to Salt Lake City's take-home car policy will shorten the distance that police officers can live from the city and still have use of a squad car.

The Salt Lake City Council tentatively decided Tuesday night to limit the use of take-home cars to those employees who live within 35 miles of I-80 and Redwood Road. The council decided on the 35-mile restriction based on the idea that putting police cars in neighborhoods helps deter crime and provides an additional benefit to residents. (Although a few other departments have take-home cars, the majority of take-home car users are police officers.)

But the council also wanted to encourage officers to live within the city so that Salt Lake City residents — whose taxes support the police department — will see the direct benefit. The council approved a graduated reimbursement scale for employees outside the city limits. Those who live within five miles of the city will pay $7.90 every two weeks to the city for maintenance and fuel costs; those who live 35 miles away will pay $81.55 every two weeks for the use of a car.

The city will give those employees who live farther than 35 miles from I-80 and Redwood Road five years to find other transportation or to move closer to the city before losing their city-owned cars.