SANDPOINT -— With the unanimous approval of Sandpoint City Council, the police department is starting a new vehicle take home program that both eliminates the need to build a new garage to house the fleet and provides an added measure of security for neighboring residents.

Police Chief Corey Coon asked council members at their July 6 meeting to approve the program and allocate $200,000 of the existing $450,000 garage fund for the purchase of four marked Ford Police Interceptors outfitted with computer and camera systems, so that each of the city's officers has an assigned vehicle. The city will hold the remainder of the fund in reserve.

"This program will still address concerns related to equipment, maintenance, parking and officer safety," said Coon. "It will also improve patrol productivity and officer retention."

Coon presented a strong case for the adoption of the new program, complete with pros and cons based on research data from other departments with similar programs nationwide. Pros include reduced operating costs, more expedient repairs and better maintenance when officers have assigned vehicles. They do not waste time checking vehicles in and out of the motor pool, and they are able to respond to off-duty emergency calls far more quickly when their cruisers are in their driveways.

The downsides of the take-home program include the initial expense of purchasing new vehicles and greater liability for the city because officers use their vehicles to commute to and from work.

In an information packet he presented to council, Coon pointed out that residents feel more secure with a police cruiser parked in their neighborhood at night. Many believe it acts as a crime deterrent, he said. What's more, off-duty officers can 

Under the newly adopted program, Sandpoint Police officers living within a 15-mile radius can drive their marked patrol cruisers home at night. According to Coon, that represents the majority in the department.

The assigned officer is the only individual, outside of specific department employees, who is authorized to operate the car, the officer must be in uniform and must have the tools of the job -- service revolver, police ID, portable radio and handcuffs -- with him or her at all times while in the vehicles. Department policy bans personal use of vehicles other than limited stops on the way to and from work, and it prohibits officers from leaving firearms in parked cruisers.