REEDSVILLE — One town councilor is not happy about a police officer taking his official cruiser home when off-duty.
Mayor Jason Titus said he received a letter questioning whether Officer Paul Rowan violated policy by taking the cruiser home.
Titus said the officer is allowed to do so, but he is not allowed to use the vehicle for personal use and cannot allow family members to be in it.Rowan lives in Kingwood.
Councilwoman Renee Stone questioned Rowan taking the cruiser home.
“Do you have funding for a new vehicle when these are gone?” Stone asked, referring to the two vehicles now used by the town’s police officer. Earlier this year, the Preston County Sheriff’s Department donated a 2013 Dodge Ram to the town that is used by the police department.
Titus said before making this decision, he spoke with both the town attorney and its insurance company, and both cleared the officer to take the vehicle home.
Titus said letting the officer take the vehicle home is a good thing.
“It makes his job better. He will be a better police officer. He will be able to have all his things in his cruiser, be prepared when he gets into his cruiser,” Titus said. Titus also said he, not council, oversees town employees. Stone said maybe that could be changed by ordinance.
In other discussions, council considered amending a town ordinance governing farm vehicles on city streets. Reedsville received complaints about ATVs, side-by-side utility vehicles and mini-trucks being driven through town. Titus said Rowan suggested the person driving the vehicle have a confirmed farm and have a farm-use tag and a triangle on the vehicle.
The amendment would allow farm vehicles to travel on main routes but not city streets. Titus said the town will have to have the amendment to the ordinance written.
In other business, Titus addressed the problem of water pooling on some lawns in Arthurdale. He said when terra cotta water pipes were installed in the 1930s, they worked for a while, then had problems. Water was recently running into the sewer system, increasing the towns storm water problem.
He said the town ran a new line through the old terra cotta tiles. This stopped the water from draining into the sewer lines but results in puddles because it now takes more time to drain away, the mayor said.
A new portable radio was ordered for Rowan from DC Electronics at a cost of $3,000. Council also ordered a shoulder radio and an emergency button from the same company. Titus said the radio didn’t come with these items, and they had to be ordered separate at a cost of $65.
