An audit released this week concludes that with tight budgets and unfilled officer positions, the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department should re-evaluate its policies on allowing officers to take police vehicles home with them in their off-duty hours.
The police do not agree.
According to KCUR, the audit found that 45 percent of the police fleet is assigned for take-home with no tracking of mileage or how they are used after duty hours.
Further, it reported that take-home vehicles were driven 2.5 million miles for commuting and personal use over the past year at a cost to the department of approximately $1.5 million.
Speaking for the police department, Major Karl Oakman agreed that better records keeping would be a good idea, but disagreed with the idea the department should cut back on the number of take-home cars or their after-duty mileage.
Oakman said in addition to convenience to officers, the take-home vehicles deter crime by adding to the sense of police presence in neighborhoods.