The Tulsa Fraternal Order of Police has unanimously voted to give up officers’ right to drive their patrol cars to their homes outside the city limits.
According to the city administration, the change could save the city more than $1 million during the next fiscal year, FOP President Phil Evans noted after the group met Monday evening.
The take-home car provision is in the FOP’s contract with the city, but officers made the concession regarding those who live outside the Tulsa city limits in an effort to mitigate the number of layoffs that may be forced on the Police Department by the city’s budget crisis.
“It (the meeting) really wasn’t that difficult,” Evans said. “We want to help out the city. … It happened because the guys are all seeing what’s happening.”
Evans said the vote was unanimous.
“Everyone’s got to pitch in to help,” he said.
On Friday, Deputy Chief Mark McCrory said as many as 135 officers would be cut from the Tulsa Police Department in the worst-case scenario, according to the final budget-cut proposal the department presented to the Mayor’s Office that day.
McCrory said that in the two scenarios the mayor had asked for — a 2.2 percent budget reduction and a 4.4 percent budget reduction — either 56 officers and six civilians or 135 officers and the same six civilians, respectively, could be cut.
At the beginning of December, 808 officers were employed by the Tulsa Police Department.
The federal stimulus money that saved 18 officers’ jobs during an earlier round of budget cuts in October would be retained,
McCrory said, but it would move up the chain to save 18 other officers with more seniority.
Twenty-one officers were laid off during the earlier cuts, but 18 of them were rehired with the stimulus money. Those who were laid off and then rehired have the least amount of seniority and would be laid off again, he indicated.
The existing take-home vehicle policy specifies that officers may drive their cars to residences within a 25-mile radius of 41st Street and Yale Avenue, which is considered the geographic center of the city. That allows officers to drive them to suburban communities.
A 2007 study showed that out of the 777 police vehicles, 392 were being driven outside Tulsa’s city limits.
The benefit was written into the police union contract in 2005 by then-Mayor Bill LaFortune.
Earlier this fiscal year, some city councilors and then-Mayor Kathy Taylor called on the police union to give up some of the take-home vehicles to avoid further police budget cuts.
The union, having already agreed to furlough days for officers, refused to make additional concessions at that time.
Following the FOP’s meeting Monday night, City Councilor Rick Westcott said he hopes the funds saved will go a long way toward saving jobs in the Police Department. “I think it’s a positive step,” Westcott said. “I know it’s not an easy decision to make.”
Chief Ron Palmer said earlier this month that the issue of officer take-home vehicles and their use for anything but city business would be discussed during the union contract negotiation process early next year.
The FOP also voted Monday to limit to four the number of officers who can be paid overtime to fill positions during any shift, Evans said. As a result, officers’ ability to take time off when they want will be curtailed.
The measure will save an estimated $117,000 during the next six months, Evans said.
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