Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield’s intimation Tuesday that City Council members might have to choose between funding the police department’s career incentive ladder or fully reinstating the department’s take-home car policy in next year’s budget really offers no choice at all. The $1.2 million involved will cover the cost of only one program. Incentives are the better choice.
That pick might not sit so well with some members of the department. Many are still smarting from last year’s decision that wisely restricted free take-home cars to officers who reside within city limits. Those who choose to live outside city limits can take their work vehicles home, but they must pay a monthly fee to do so. That’s a fair policy, one that provides an incentive for officers to live in the city that provides their livelihood.
Many officers argue that their presence in a marked vehicle while off-duty is a crime deterrent in their neighborhood and on the road. That may be so, but an officer who lives in, say, Soddy Daisy or in an unincorporated area of the county, is providing those services to individuals who do not pay Chattanooga taxes. That’s unfair to the city’s ratepayers.
City residents should not subsidize the cost of gasoline, maintenance and depreciation of a vehicle used for purposes other than providing services within the city. Any arguments to the country are simply self-serving. Indeed, the city’s adoption of the current policy on take-home cars after considerable debate last year remains equitable and economically sound.
According to the mayor, it would cost the city about $1 million annually to again provide take-home cars for all officers. That money is better spent on the career ladder initiative, a proven program that financially rewards officers who obtain more training and receive promotions. Police Chief Bobby Dodd obviously agrees. “The cars are not my argument this year,” he said at Tuesday’s meeting. “My argument is raises and benefits this year.”