400-07 Vehicle Use and Assignment Flashcards
City Vehicle (a.k.a. Department Vehicle).
For purposes of this General Order, these terms are used interchangeably to refer to a vehicle owned or leased by the City of Houston or assigned by an outside agency, including a federal agency, for use by the Houston Police Department.
Motor Pool Vehicles
Department vehicles available for authorized employees to temporarily check out to use while performing official City business.
These vehicles include motor pool vehicles assigned to the HPD Fleet Unit or to an HPD command, office, division, or unit and are differentiated in this General Order when policies differ as either Fleet Unit motor pool vehicles or divisional motor pool vehicles.
Operational Necessity
The fact of being critical to operational continuity and/or functions in fulfillment of the mission of the Houston Police Department. As applied in this General Order, take-home vehicle assignments, either permanent or rotational, are determined by operational necessity when vehicle resource availability is immediately required or expected.
Out-of-Town Travel
A destination to which it cannot be reasonably expected that an employee can travel, conduct business, and return within a business day.
Permanent Take-Home Vehicle
A department vehicle assigned to an employee who, because of assignment and/or job duties, is deemed to have a perpetual need for a take-home vehicle with home storage privileges based on, but not limited to, operational necessity. The employee is generally assigned to a division in which employees are on-call and often are:
a. Routinely called out to perform an assignment beyond normal duty hours.
b. Required to report directly to various work sites.
c. Required to carry and/or maintain specialized equipment.
Primary Household
For purposes of this General Order, a primary household is where an employee resides on a regular basis. This includes an employee’s true, fixed, principal, and
permanent home to which that employee intends to return and remain even though currently residing elsewhere.
The Chief of Police reserves the right to make the final determination of primary household considering evidence such as, but not limited to, driver licenses, voter
registration rolls, homestead exemptions, property tax rolls, registered utilities, and mailing addresses.
Rotational Take-Home Vehicle
A department vehicle rotationally assigned as a take-home vehicle to divisional employees sharing on-call status in increments of 90 calendar days or less.
Rotational take-home vehicle assignments are not a requirement of a position, but are based on the needs of a division.
Officers with rotational on-call assignments that cumulatively last more than 90 calendar days in the calendar year shall pay the take-home vehicle fee only for
the time period over the 90 calendar days in the same calendar year.
Take-Home Vehicle Committee (THVC).
Committee appointed by the Chief of Police to hear, review, and recommend which job duties or assignments are such that take-home vehicle assignments are appropriate and beneficial to the department.
The THVC evaluates employee requests for take-home vehicle assignments and makes recommendations to the Chief of Police. These recommendations are based on, but not limited to, operational necessity.
Take-Home Vehicle Fee.
A fee assessed to employees assigned a permanent take-home vehicle or, in some cases, a rotational take-home vehicle as noted above to reimburse the City for non-City business driving. The fee is paid via payroll deduction.
VEHICLE ALLOCATION
City vehicles shall be allocated based on…
documented needs, available resources, and department goals
GENERAL GUIDELINES
Driving a motor vehicle is an essential job function necessary to the carrying out of the duties of a police officer. Therefore, all classified employees shall…
maintain a current valid Texas driver license.
GENERAL GUIDELINES
On an annual basis, the department shall obtain and review the driving record of each employee (see General Order 200-11, Employee Integrity Program). Employees shall be disqualified from driving a City vehicle if they:
a. Do not have a _____.
b. Have been convicted of a _____.
c. Have been convicted of DWI or DUI within ____months prior to review.
d. Have been convicted of any combination of _____ within 36 months prior to review.
Neither the City nor the department is required to find or create a new position to accommodate an employee who has been disqualified from driving on City business. The disqualified employee may apply for a posted position anywhere in the City, including the employee’s own department, for a non-driving position for which the employee qualifies.
1) current valid Texas driver license
2) felony involving the use of a motor vehicle
3) 36
4) three moving violations or at-fault crashes
ASSIGNMENT OF TAKE-HOME VEHICLES
Only the ____ may authorize the assignment of take-home department vehicles.
Chief of Police
ASSIGNMENT OF TAKE-HOME VEHICLES
Requests for assignment of take-home vehicles shall be evaluated by the _____, which shall make a recommendation to the Chief of Police. All forms mentioned herein and related to take-home vehicle assignments are available on the department’s Intranet Portal.
Take-Home Vehicle Committee (THVC)
ASSIGNMENT OF TAKE-HOME VEHICLES
Employees assigned a take-home vehicle, whether permanent or rotational, shall submit a Take-Home Vehicle Assignment form to the chair of the THVC.
This form shall be resubmitted when…
This form is required regardless of the funding source or vehicle provider and regardless of any exemption from the take-home vehicle fee. Failure to update this information may result in the suspension of take-home vehicle privileges.
changes occur (e.g., address change, change in vehicle).
ASSIGNMENT OF TAKE-HOME VEHICLES
Unless given an exemption, all employees assigned a permanent take-home vehicle shall pay the take-home vehicle fee. See the definition of rotational take-home vehicle for information about when the take-home vehicle fee applies to a rotational take-home vehicle. To authorize the payroll deduction, the employee shall complete and submit a Take-Home Vehicle Fee Authorization form to the THVC via their division commander. It is the employee’s responsibility to complete and submit a Take-Home Vehicle Fee Cancellation form to the THVC when…
the take-home vehicle fee no longer applies.
ASSIGNMENT OF TAKE-HOME VEHICLES
All employees who have received authorization to have a take-home vehicle are reminded that the authorization is valid for only the residence address and job assignment and duties listed at the time of approval. An employee who changes residence or job assignment or duties after receiving prior approval must _____ and meet the current guidelines to retain take-home vehicle privileges.
resubmit an application to the THVC
ASSIGNMENT OF TAKE-HOME VEHICLES
Mileage Radius Limit
All employees authorized a take-home vehicle must reside within a ___-mile radius (one way) from the Houston Police Department Edward A. Thomas Building located at 1200 Travis Street, Houston, Texas.
The executive assistant chief of the requesting employee may make an exception to this mileage limit of up to a ___-mile radius (one way) from the Edward A. Thomas Building (1200 Travis). However, outside agencies, e.g., federal agencies, may impose more restrictive residential mileage radius limits for take-home vehicles they provide the department. In such cases, division commanders are responsible for ensuring compliance.
1) 30
2) 50
ASSIGNMENT OF TAKE-HOME VEHICLES
Mileage Radius Limit
The determination of the distance from the Edward A. Thomas Building shall be based on the ____ of the employee.
The distance shall be determined by a…
If it is questionable whether an employee’s primary household is within the applicable mileage radius limit the employee shall prepare and submit correspondence through the chain of command to the Chief of Police describing where the residence is located and clarifying the nature of the ambiguity.
1) primary household
2) straight line measurement of miles
ASSIGNMENT OF TAKE-HOME VEHICLES
Mileage Radius Limit
No employee may park a department vehicle at a non-assigned location and then continue his daily commute beyond the applicable mileage radius limit in order to circumvent the intent of this General Order.
Employees shall not operate City vehicles for non-City business driving
outside the…
Travel directly to and from the employee’s permanent work assignment(s) is excluded from this order and is governed by the applicable take-home vehicle mileage radius limit.
area that includes Harris County and its surrounding counties (Montgomery, Liberty, Chambers, Galveston, Brazoria, Fort Bend, and Waller).
ASSIGNMENT OF TAKE-HOME VEHICLES
Absences
Employees assigned a take-home vehicle and who will be absent from duty for more than _____ days, shall ensure their assigned vehicle is available on police property during that time period for use by others, as determined by the division commander.
five consecutive working