Although the rate is much higher than the rate of a few years ago it is cheaper than the $4.19 rate at the corner gas stations. Within the past years officers have taken many proactive measures to cut back on gasoline usage and have made self initiated cuts in off-duty driving. This has resulted in the department coming in $40,000 under gas budged for 2007. Our current budget is also projected to come in under budget.
One must also look at the many problems departments without take-home vehicles face. With the ever-growing list of needed police equipment officers can average 20-30 minutes a day loading and unloading their equipment from their personal car to the fleet vehicle. This wasted time would cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. With a take-home car all of our equipment is already stored in our vehicle.
