Deputies take cars home to ensure quick response

Taking Sheriff?s vehicles home allows Sheriff?s deputies to respond more quickly to emergencies and react at any hour of the day or night, even if they are off duty.

?I?m responsible for the safety of this community and by assigning officers a vehicle to take home this allows them to respond in mass if they are needed,? said Matheny concerning some recent criticism of the policy. ?There wasn?t anything being said until fuel went up. But, even now, it?s still economical because the officers take care of their individual cars better plus the cars last a lot longer.?

Matheny said he was somewhat pessimistic when first introduced by the county?s safety committee to the idea of assigning cars for each deputy. However, since that time, Matheny said he is a believer when it comes to individual cars.

?If you run a car 24-7, you have to replace it every two years but by taking the cars home, they aren?t being used around-the-clock and that allows them to last longer,? Matheny said.

However, regardless of the longevity factor, Matheny said having officers being able to respond from their homes in marked units is something needed for safety sake.

?We didn?t think something like a tornado would happen, but it did, and we were able to respond units from around the county,? Matheny said. ?There are also other potential emergencies like terrorism or a school shooting. We need the ability to pour manpower to an area immediately instead of them going to the jail and waiting on a car.?

As for the usage of vehicles, Matheny said the individual cars are not meant to be used for anything except official duties.

?The cars are to be driven to and from work, to and from court or to and from any official duty such as a class or training,? Matheny said. ?Now, if an officer wants to stop and get a burger on the way home, that?s not a big deal so long as it?s done within reason. Getting out and going to the grocery store or things like that, now that?s a violation of policy.?

Matheny said he has noticed the individual cars are being well cared for by the assigned officers, thus the cars are being kept in commission longer, many seeing up to 200,000 of use. The sheriff added there are no plans to change the current assignment of cars.

?When we?re talking about public welfare and safety, I?d prefer to err on the side of caution,? Matheny said.