By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
Juab County Sheriff Doug Anderson would like all of his jailers, who are now certified officers, to be able to drive a county vehicle home.
While commissioners determined to stick with a new ruling they had made to not allow county vehicles to be driven back and forth to work, two commissioners decided that the jail commander, a lieutenant, could have a vehicle to drive as do all regular deputies.
Anderson said he thought it was important for all his deputies to be able to respond to emergencies, especially if they were close. For example, they could respond to an accident on the freeway if they had their official vehicle.
"We have the vehicles," said Anderson. "I am looking for ways to put more officers in the field."
He said, since they are all full-spectrum officers, if they saw an incident on their way home, they could provide first response to any type of emergency. A full spectrum deputy is able to provide all traditional law-enforcement functions, including countywide patrol and investigations irrespective of municipal boundaries.
As it is, the officer now takes off his belt and drives home in his own vehicle.
It is a deterrent to crime to see a police officer in an official vehicle.
The problem with his proposal, said Byron Woodland, commission chairman, was that commissioners had, just before Anderson took office, pulled the county-owned vehicles from county employees. Those workers now drive their own vehicles to and from work.
"We did it to reign in costs," said Woodland.
He said the same argument being used by Anderson could just as well be used by a county road employee. If they had a county vehicle at home, they could more quickly respond to a flood.
Clint Painter, commissioner, said he tended to side with Woodland but he also understood the benefit of having a police presence.
Anderson said, if he had to choose between his sergeants working at the jail and his jail commander, he would like to see his commander have a vehicle. He thought it was important and knew that he was called upon to take care of problems at the jail.
The officers have 24-hour training authority.
"Do you see it as a necessity?" asked Woodland.
He asked if Anderson saw it as a benefit that outweighed other considerations. Chances are that the emergency requiring quick response from an off-duty officer would never happen.
Jared Eldridge, county attorney, said that one off-duty officer saw an incident nearby and was able to run into his home and get his duty belt.
"I think that we should stick with the policy we passed in January," said Rick Carlton, commissioner.
He said that commissioners had debated the issue for four months before finally passing the motion to not allow county employees to drive county-owned vehicles back and forth to work.
Field deputies had been an exception but he did not think that the new requirements for county employees should be changed.
"I do not think there is enough justification," he said.
He said that now everybody was unhappy and he was not ready to open the debate once again. He thought that the policy the commissioners had adopted just four months ago needed to be in place awhile to see how it was working.
After a year, the policy could be reevaluated, he said.
Some things had happened in the past with county-owned equipment that was not good. Having such vehicles was a privilege, he said.
"I understand your policy," said Anderson.
However, he said, he would like his jail commander to have an official sheriff's deputy vehicle.
Anderson said that the deputy could be a watch commander, an additional step.
"We have received a lot of compliments about you and your department and the job you are doing," said Carlton.
"We need strong department heads," he said.
He was pro-discussion and thought that elected officials should have the right to speak up and talk over their ideas with commissioners.
Woodland said that he was willing to look at allowing the commander to have a vehicle and thought that Anderson had made some valid points for allowing him to have one.
He was not willing, however, to abandon the policy commissioners had made and allow all the deputies working at the jail, regardless of their rank, the right to drive sheriff's vehicles home.
Anderson said that his commander lived in Nephi and was needed to respond to an emergency in an official vehicle even though such instances might be rare.
He needed to not be limited in his response time.
"He is an additional spectrum," said Anderson.
He said that, in the absence of himself or his chief deputy, second in command, he could assume a command position. He could also respond to an accident.
"I would feel comfortable making a motion," said Painter.
His father was a former county sheriff and because of that, and the service of his brother, he knew that police officers were never off-duty. They served the public all of the time.
He and Woodland voted in favor of allowing the jail commander to have a marked vehicle.
Carlton opposed the motion and voted against the action because he though the policy, adopted in January, needed to be adhered to.
