Police in Middleburg, Virginia, will be allowed to drive their police cruisers home, or at least up to 40 miles on the way there, as part of a plan to help recruit more officers.
During a recent meeting, the Middleburg Town Council approved a program that will allow officers to take the cruisers home. The initiative will be launched as a pilot program, and leaders there said they plan to review how effective the step is in six months.
Loudoun Now first reported details of the program.
“It’s an incentive that the guys are really looking forward to,” Middleburg Police Chief Shaun Jones said. “I think it will help, one, enhance our morale, and then, two, also help with recruitment.”
After discussing how what the mileage cap for taking the police cruisers home should be, council members agreed on a 40-mile limit. Most surrounding police departments, Jones said, have caps in place, and in some cases, they have “farther distances so that it can accommodate all of their employees.”
Giving officers the extra flexibility, Jones said, is also going to “save them wear and tear on their personal vehicle.”
For officers who live farther than the 40-mile limit, Jones said it’s “common practice around that they leave them at a secure location.”
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