COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) -- The Columbus Council reversed a longstanding policy in a unanimous vote this morning.
Before the end of the month, Columbus public safety personnel who live in Alabama will be allowed to take their work vehicles home.
For years police officers who worked for Columbus PD and lived in Muscogee County were able to take their work vehicles home.
That was not the case for those who work in Columbus and live across the Chattahoochee River.
The request to alter the policy came from interim police Chief Stoney Mathis.
“When I first came here, I went around the police department asking for things that the police officers have not had in the past that would benefit them in the future," Mathis said. "And one of them was being able to take their cars home to Alabama. They can drive it 25 miles into Georgia, but they can't drive it five miles across the river. So, one of the things I was dead set on trying to implement is the take-home car policy in Alabama. Apparently, it's been about a 20-year policy to prevent that from happening. But the mayor and the council have been supporting me so much. They're the ones that made this happen.”
Many members of the Columbus Police Department command staff were in the council chambers supporting the recommendation.
Mathis estimates it will impact about 20 percent of his current force.
"It only affects about 50 police officers," he said. "However, what they have to do right now is if they live just across the line, they have to come to the police department if a homicide happens, get their county-issued or city-issued vehicle, put their equipment in that vehicle, and then drive to wherever the homicide is. Now, they can respond straight from their house to a homicide or fatality accident, or anything else. They may have to respond to.”
This will also impact the Muscogee County Sheriff's Office and Columbus Fire and EMS.
Sheriff Countryman says it will impact about 32 of 300 deputies. On the police side, it’s about 50 of 330. Mayor Skip Henderson estimates that less than 10 Fire and EMS personnel are impacted.
Mathis says this will be important in recruiting and retaining officers. The department is budgeted for 488 officers and is more than 150 short.
“Take-home cars are a standing policy by most police departments in the country," Mathis said. "And it’s a perk. It’s a perk to help recruit police officers. So, now, we will be able to recruit people who live in Alabama to the Columbus Police Department because they get to take their cars home. And if we continue to build relationships with the community, if we continue to build relationships with the police officers, if we continue to implement these policies that help morale then more police officers are going to come to the Columbus police department. And it’s going to prevent a lot of these police officers from leaving.”
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