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| Take-home cars for sheriff’s staff on the rise |
| By signonsandiego.com - Jeff McDonald |
| Published: 10/21/2011 |
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The Sheriff’s Department maintains 611 county cars for employees to drive home at the end of the day, an increase of 29 — about 5 percent — since early this year. The increase comes despite a promise by Sheriff Bill Gore, under attack by a rival for election last year, that he planned to crack down on the number of cars permitted to be taken home. Combined, the cars are driven on commutes of more than 25,000 miles a day, with an average round trip of just under 41 miles. The accounting is contained in an internal audit obtained by The Watchdog this week after months of requests. “I requested this comprehensive review to ascertain exactly where cars are assigned and how many are being used as take-home vehicles,” Gore said. “Now that all of the data has been compiled, we can begin a complete analysis of the most effective and efficient use of this resource.” Many of the vehicles are driven by detectives who answer calls at all hours or by backcountry traffic deputies whose duties take them across remote stretches. Dozens of other vehicles are assigned to department lawyers, human resources managers, media relations officials and command staff who leave their offices less frequently. Ninety of the workers granted county-owned cars live outside San Diego County and rack up thousands of miles a day in gas, insurance and related expenses, records show. They live in places like Temecula, Murrieta and Salton City, on the shore of the Salton Sea in Imperial County. Many of these county employees commute 100 miles or more every day, with San Diego taxpayers picking up the tab for gas, insurance, maintenance and other costs. Sheriff’s spokeswoman Jan Caldwell said the county has no policy dictating where employees live. She also noted that some non-sworn employees are required to track mileage and report it to the Internal Revenue Service for tax purposes. Read More. |
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