Welcome to America !, Claremore (10/28/2009 1:59:13 PM)

Don't accept the grant money at all ! Probably too late at this point but if not, don't take it - it's got big strings attached we don't need or want.

WhoseLeft, Tulsa (10/28/2009 2:00:56 PM)

Taking the cruisers home would save 1.1 million?

Let's keep the cruisers home in Tulsa! Save the horses. Save the helicopters.

This seems so obvious.

Carrie, Tulsa (10/28/2009 2:03:54 PM)

Someone said yesterday that she knew for a fact that it didn't cost anything to drive the police cars home (outside of Tulsa).

I wish I could say 1.1 million was nothing.

QLC, (10/28/2009 2:05:52 PM)

What does he mean, ask them to give it up??? Just take the benefit away! Now! Why are we 'asking' them?

Welcome to America !, Claremore (10/28/2009 2:07:20 PM)

I have heard both sides of this argument and I must say there are some good points on both sides. One I hadn't thought about with the officers taking them home, is response time. If an officer does not take his cruiser home and is needed, the officers are not going to drive their personal vehicle to an emergency and having to drive from their home to the police yard and then back out to the emergency could take a very long time. The other would be the deterrent that police cars on city streets have for some criminals; obviously not all.

Welcome to America !, Claremore (10/28/2009 2:08:14 PM)

Ever heard of the friendly Unions ?

pdillo, Tulsa (10/28/2009 2:08:30 PM)

ha, its like the comments from yesterday where actually heard and then materialized – weeeird! But yeah, I could care less. cops are jerks.

wmenorr67, Tulsa (10/28/2009 2:11:26 PM)

And while we are at it let us stop all city employees from taking city vehicles home. How much will that save?

tbgalileo, Tulsa (10/28/2009 2:19:35 PM)

QLC, sure, the city could just disregard the contract it signed and refuse this benefit, as long as it's comfortable paying out a huge settlement for the violation in federal court.

Fruits&Nuts, (10/28/2009 2:22:41 PM)

I wonder if Westcott drove a car home before he was fired from the Police department.

irwindale, Tulsa (10/28/2009 2:23:26 PM)

...once again I must say who could not see this coming. I find the issue of lower than expected revenues to be one that should have been addressed a year or two ago.

Headline reads - For sale, police cars, horses, buildings. Yet we have a Stadium, a Ballpark, and a new City Hall and of course crumbling roads and bridges.

Great leadership.

justamomof2, (10/28/2009 2:24:07 PM)

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"wmenorr67, Tulsa (10/28/2009 2:11:26 PM)
And while we are at it let us stop all city employees from taking city vehicles home. How much will that save?"

I totally agree with you, lets see the city counselors call for that action to be taken as well.

But what will happen with the 4% raise that the police department traded in exchange for driving their police cars to and from work?

proudmom08, owasso (10/28/2009 2:24:40 PM)

How about taking away vehicle allowances and cell phone allowances. I'm sure if I had a few minutes with the city budget, I could save a lot of jobs. I'm not a big fan of police, but even less of a fan of crime.

Just a Mom, East Tulsa (10/28/2009 2:26:36 PM)

Watch out! While they have everyone focused on losing police officers (while crime is high), stopping them from taking their patrol cars home (while other city employees drive theirs home) there really is something big going on in the city that they don't want us asking questions about.
This crap in the TW is no information at all, and that is just the way they want it. Keep the little people busy and they will never notice the blood gushing from their back.

okierose, Tulsa County (10/28/2009 2:26:57 PM)

'Welcome to America !, Claremore (10/28/2009 2:07:20 PM) If an officer does not take his cruiser home and is needed, the officers are not going to drive their personal vehicle to an emergency and having to drive from their home to the police yard and then back out to the emergency could take a very long time.'

I was listening to 1170 AM yesterday and there was a caller who said a study had been done and the frequency of TPD getting called for an emergency while off-duty is very rare. I say in these financial times, give up taking the cars home for a while, maybe a year. Then re-instate that benefit when the money is there.

Norm, (10/28/2009 2:30:37 PM)

Welcome to America - that argument is so tired, that it's in a coma. There is not a situation where EVERY police officer on the force, living from Claremore to Sapulpa would need EVERY one of their vehicles NOW. Every situation (including one of 9/11 proportions) could be handled by the on-duty officers until those who were "called in" could retrieve a vehicle. There are also sworn personnel from TCSO, and OHP that can and WILL act in the event of a monumental catastrophe.

Your hypothetical situation hasn't happened ANYWHERE, and won't happen.

It's long since time to kill the take home car policy. The 4% pay raise that was traded for that perk was eons ago - and has been more than made up for in "Degree" pay, and longevity bonuses.

TulsaDawgFan, (10/28/2009 2:33:07 PM)

The Council has said for a while that take home cars would save 1.1 million, but when asked to back up those numbers they can never do it. Why? Because they pulled the number out of their hat. TPD did a study and found that the take home cars cost $90,000 per year, not 1,100,000. Never during negotiations has the Mayor asked for the take home cars to be given up, because she knows the savings are minimal.

KJJ, (10/28/2009 2:36:47 PM)

It's amazing sometimes the lack of information on how it all works. There is a lot more to the take home cars than making it sound like it's just some "perk" the officers get. As someone else had mentioned, this was a "perk" they were given in the past in a contract INSTEAD of a raise. Plus let's look at this, the union agreed to furloughs with the intention that it would prevent layoffs. So all the officers took a pay cut, just call it what it is. Now they lay off officers, ground helicopters and take away mounted patrol. Next they want to take away the take home vehicles (this is their office, where paperwork, etc. is kept). Where will it stop? I've seen a lot of positive comments in favor of helping the police and not having so many cuts, but is anyone talking to the mayor's office or their city councilor? Crime will increase with these cuts, officer safety will be jeapordized and the city is still spending money. Over time will and has increased. Fox news ran a story on it. Just because you are short officers, crime doesn't stop and someone has to take the call...

The A Team, (10/28/2009 2:37:48 PM)

Maybe it's time for a commuter tax on all the people who work in the city of Tulsa but live outside of it?

boomer_sooner1194, (10/28/2009 2:39:22 PM)

Gee I didn't know the olice department only had 57 officers. I pay about $30 a week to fill my car up (Mazda)which totals $1560 a year for me to drive from Glenpool to Tulsa for work every morning. If you take $90,000 and assume (terrible assumption) that police cars average 28 mpg and divided by $30 a week it would only come to 57 police officers. I don't buy that for one minute.

Shumate, (10/28/2009 2:41:28 PM)

In answer to an earlier question....Rick Westcott never had an assigned car to take home while he was a member of the TPD. That, indeed, was a benefit that came along much later. But, for those who are interested, while Rick was in the academy he was paid $600/month. Upon graduation, his salary was increased to $1000/month. That pay scale was, in part, motivation for the "perk" of being allowed to save some gas money and drive your assigned squad car home.

boomer_sooner1194, (10/28/2009 2:43:19 PM)

Not to mention the fact that if you live 20 miles from work, which is not hard to do in the Tulsa Metro area, that would average an additional 10,400 miles every year per squad/city owned vehicle.

So if you have to get your oil changed every 3000 (probably more for a police cruiser that is getting revved and ran at high rates of speed during calls)miles that would be an additional 3 to 4 oil changes a year per car.

Norm, (10/28/2009 2:43:49 PM)

I just did the math - and $1.1 million UNDERSTATES the cost.

Assume that 600 officers are taking cars home - at 25 miles, one way per day (50 round trip). An officer works 192 days in a year (4 days/wk - 48wks). At the prevailing rate of .46 cents/mile for gas and wear/tear on the vehicles - that comes out to $2,649,600. PER YEAR!!!!

The $1.1 million might come from the variables (less mileage round trip, less officers travelling). Either way - It's money that the city DOESN'T HAVE to spend anymore!!!

LoveMyTTown, Tulsa (10/28/2009 2:43:51 PM)

I agree with "America". This men and women risk their lives to protect us. Come on people...give them a break. The crime rate is out of control and we're crippling the ones that are fighting crime!! LEAVE TPD alone! Go find the $ some where else...cut the mayor and her "assistance" salaries!

Jack9, somewhere (10/28/2009 2:44:54 PM)

I agree with KJJ... someone mentioned the perk/raise in salaries of 4% was a vehicle. I would think in order to save a co-worker job i would give up a perk to help out... that should go all the way to the top. eliminate a few of the mayors assistants positions, move them to another open position that are still open.