AC 01 Use of County Vehicles

Washington County Sheriff's Office

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION

Policy Manual

Volume: AC

County Vehicles

Chapter: 01

Use of County Vehicles

Replaces and/or Supersedes:

AC 03 04/15/2011

Published:

04/23/2012

Review Date:

02/23/2022

Sheriff Nate Brooksby

Undersheriff Barry Golding

TABLE OF CONTENTS

AC 01_101  References

AC 01_102  General

AC 01_103  Take Home

AC 01_101  REFERENCES

1. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Standards: 2000-35.
2. Washington County Policy: IX.P.

AC 01_102  GENERAL

1. Policy:
   1. County vehicles shall be used exclusively for County business. The only exceptions are the Sheriff and the following Sheriff's Office employees who are designated as on-call or are subject to increased availability:
      1. Undersheriff;
      2. Chief deputies;
      3. Emergency Services Director;
      4. On-call Incident Command Lieutenant;
      5. On-call detective;
      6. Emergency Services Deputy.
   2. Drivers of County vehicles should only carry persons riding as part of County business. Employees with an assigned vehicle, traveling to or from work, may drop off or pick up others (such as their children) as long as it doesn't substantially endanger any person or increase the County's expenses due to route deviations.
   3. Employees have no expectation of privacy in County vehicles.
   4. County vehicles may not be used in connection with secondary employment.
   5. If driving conditions require the use of windshield wipers, the vehicle's headlights should be turned on.
2. Rationale:
   1. The citizens of Washington County have an expectation of frugal use of county resources as well as an expectation of timely response to emergencies and disasters.
   2. Sheriff's Office personnel who are on-call or are subject to a heightened expectation of availability are expected to respond to emergencies as soon as possible with the equipment necessary to address the emergency.
   3. The use of county vehicles for non-county business by a limited number of personnel allows for an increased availability to respond to emergencies and disasters while still making frugal use of county resources.
   4. Activated headlights may allow a vehicle to be more easily seen in reduced visibility conditions.

AC 01_103  TAKE HOME

1. Policy:
   1. County vehicles may not be taken home overnight. The only exceptions are:
      1. Those who have been assigned a vehicle; and
      2. Incidental take home by any employee if authorized by the Sheriff, or designee, to achieve efficiency in performing assigned duties or travel on the next work day.
   2. In the event any employee permitted to take home a county vehicle will be unavailable for call-out or a regular duty schedule for more than ten consecutive calendar days, the assigned vehicle will be parked at the Sheriff's Office, or other designated area during the absence.
   3. County vehicles taken home by employees will be returned to the Sheriff's Office by the employee upon a supervisor's request. County vehicles may also be picked up from the employee's residence, based upon the needs of the Sheriff's Office.
2. Rationale:
   1. Allowing assigned staff to take county vehicles home overnight facilitates a more direct response to emergencies.
   2. Supervisors may call-out personnel who are closer to the emergency, saving time and resources in responding to the emergency.
   3. Patrol staff become available to respond to calls immediately upon entering their vehicles.
   4. Allowing employees to take a vehicle home overnight directly benefits the county when it saves the county time and resources in facilitating next day travel.