POV for LE?

cbratt

Member
May 21, 2010
29
Idaho
Hay guys,


I'd like help, input, ideas, thoughts (both good and bad), about a police department allowing their guys to purchase and use their own vehicles for the job. Who pays insurance, what is required, who pays fuel, budget for equipment, expenses etc.


Thanks guys,


Chris
 
Jul 14, 2010
1,639
S.W. Ohio USA
My small agency was a car down due to it being totaled in a crash. I had a personally owned CVPI and was a supervisor doing investigations. Since I had the car set up for FD and EMS use anyway, we made a deal. I used my own car for duty, and while on duty I was covered on their insurance and had an allowance weekly for gas. After the new replacement car arrived, I was still covered if I responded off duty to call ins and incidents, but no gas. It worked out great, and got us out of a bind. As long as you are covered legally and have the blessing of the powers that be, I don't see a problem. Small agencies with limited resources have to be innovative.


A major city PD officer friend of mine has lights and siren in his POV for detective and crisis unit call outs. He says it is also common with their SWAT guys. I don't know who pays or how it works legally for them, but they must be covered in some manner like I was.
 

Phillyrube

Member
May 21, 2010
1,272
Flatistan
A lot of agencies, maybe the only one, in Hawaii, do that. It's a lease back arrangement. There is a thread on this in the Pics/Vids section.
 

GranPrix

Member
May 23, 2010
530
FL
There's a small dept outside of Miami that tell you to buy a decommissioned crown vic from Coral Gables PD for about $1k and then donate it to them. They outfit/paint the Vic and it's yours to use on the job. Usually it's for the reserve officers though.
 
May 21, 2010
153
Calhoun, TN
There is a small town dept near me that doesn't do take home cars. Most of their officers don't reside inside the city limits anyway. Their Chief has purchased his own crown vic & takes it home. He outfitted it out of his own pocket & it looks pretty sharp.
 

Stendec

Member
May 21, 2010
816
The *only* way I'd consider doing it was if it was a lease-back, and *only* if the dept was "stable" from a labor and budgetary standpoint. And I wouldn't consider it as a daily driver, but a work tool. I have no desire to drive a cop car off-duty, nor would I want to expose it, or my stuff in it, to theft. Take-homes are a great idea, mainly because it gives the agency the ability to do call-outs faster and troops tend to take better care of the equipment, and I'd imagine the same could be said for lease-backs. But the novelty of a take-home wears off in short order. After the 2nd time someone bangs on you door at 0300 on a night off because they want you to tell their kids to shut up or you'll take them to jail, the car winds up getting parked in the barn.


I've never been to Hawaii, but the POVs used for LE there look WAY too pretty. With the wear and tear and off-roading and NASCAR/Dukes of Hazzard crap we put our cars through, they never look that clean.
 

Klein

Member
May 22, 2010
966
Texas
Many Constable-departments do it in Texas. Have a few cars to choose from. Theyre given magnet decals if they also use it for POV use, buy their own equipment and the dept gives a fuel and maintenance allowance.
 

Fast LT1

Member
May 24, 2010
2,018
Sedgwick County, KS
They did that hear about 2 years ago when cash was tight and they started making officers share cars, instead of buying more and everyone would have a take home unit! They had the reserve officers bring their vehicles in, and they would throw a whelen inner edge in the front, a traffic advisor in back, a laptop stand, a laptop, a whelen cencom, and give you a handheld radio and said have at it. All units are/were unmarked and were not allowed to do traffic stops unless they were potential felony stops. They would give you a fuel card that you could use at any of the fueling stations on department property, and you were covered by their insurance once you clocked in. The negatives are, well you'll be really putting your car through its paces by driving it 100+ miles every shift. Also some departments probably wont pay for the maintenance on your car, such as tires, oil changes, etc... Another thing is if you pull up to a gas station and get out and some guy is robbing the place, and he sees those lights in your car you might become a potential target for a criminal, but anyone with a pov with lights in it runs that risk! Basically i wouldn't recommend it!
 

Ben E.

Member
May 21, 2010
2,417
Iowa, USA
I have a pretty nice car at work already, but if I could get away with doing a "lease back" program here and being able to drive my Expedition, at least during the winter, I would. We don't have any 4x4's. If they paid me mileage, insurance, and cover any repairs that were work related, I'd be cool with it. Oh, and I'd have to leave it unmarked, since it's also my daily driver. I don't want a cop car sitting outside my house unless it belongs to the agency, not me.
 

Station 3

Member
May 21, 2010
3,395
Edinburg Texas
Klein said:
Many Constable-departments do it in Texas. Have a few cars to choose from. Theyre given magnet decals if they also use it for POV use, buy their own equipment and the dept gives a fuel and maintenance allowance.



Yeah he is right i have seen that alot down here in south Texas also.
 
May 25, 2010
275
Quincy, Illinois
There are a few Sheriff Departments in Missouri that make the deputies purchase there own car and they get so much per mile which covers the gas, maintenance, insurance, car payment and then some. I like the program because the deputies can drive what they want, get cars on state bid, and don;t have to drive the shit usually offfered by these small S.O..


I have had new small departments hire me and payed me nicely to use my own vehicle for a year or two until they could save up for a nice car and good equipment.
 

RL1

Member
May 20, 2010
1,649
Ga
11b101abn said:
In Ga, the vehhicle must be owned or leased by the agency. NO pov's for LE.

However, you can buy a vehicle, lease it to your dept for $1 a year, and have them pay for the up keep and everything... I just wouldn't recommend it.
 

patrol530

Member
May 23, 2010
1,016
Central Florida
No POV's for LEO use here in Florida that I'm aware of. You use the Govt's vehicles and their insurance. On another note, if a State Trooper wants to use his issued vehicle on an off duty detail, he pays the State a mileage charge for the wear and tear, and they take out an additonal insurance policy at their cost. My agency charges an additional $3 an hour, on top of the deputy pay for off duty, to compensate for use of the vehicle.
 

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