Policy Text
Page 1 of 8 General O rder 3 -10 (07/31/2024)
TAKE-HOME VEHICLES
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
GENERAL ORDER
Subject: TAKE -HOME VEHICLES
Chapter
3 Number
10 Pages
9
References:
CALEA Standards: 41.3.1 , 61.1.6 c
VA State Code: §33.1 -252 Related Orders: 1-1, 4-4
Effective Date : 07/31/2024
Revised By: Review
Prv. Rev. Date: 03/29/2023
Chief of Police :
If any provision of this General Order conflicts with any collective bargaining article, the collective bargaining
agreement shall govern.
I. PURPOSE
The purpose of this Order is to establish the policy and procedure for the safe and
efficient utilization of Department -issued vehicles. It is the purpose of the Department to
provide immediate respons es of resources and personnel to situations involving the
protection of life, and property and the investigation and admi nistration of such
incidents. To this end, vehicles will be allocated, based on assignments, to maintain the
good order of the communit y and the personnel responsible for the proper oversight of
police functions .
II. SUMMARY OF CHANGE
The t riannual review of this General Order was conducted with no changes
incorporated. General Order 03 -09 Take Home Marked Program has been combined
into this policy and archived. All changes will be bol d and ita licized throughout the
document.
III. POLICY
A. Take -home vehicles withi n the Police Department fall under City of Richmond
Administrative Regulation 6.2 . The use of a take-home vehicle is a privilege and
not a right that the Department extends to employees who are in good standing to
maximize their abilities toward meeti ng th e goals of the Department.
B. Certain d ivisions shall be permitted to utilize rental vehicles at the discretion of the
Chief of Police or designee. The use of such vehicles will be strictly monitored, and
their use narrowly defined. Rental vehicles will not be used for routine or general
patrol. Virginia law enforcement vehicles u sed in routine or general patrol service
must be conspicuously marked and equipped with at least a sire n and emergency
lights in operational order and constant radio communication.
Page 2 of 8 General O rder 3 -10 (07/31/2024)
TAKE-HOME VEHICLES
C. Members shall complete and sign form P D-56 (“Take -Home Vehicle Agreement ”)
before they are allowed to operate any such vehicle.
IV. ACCOUNTABILITY STATEMENT
All employees a re expect ed to fully comply with the guidelines and timelines outlined in
this Genera l Order. Failure to comply will result in appropriate corrective action.
Responsibility rests with the Division Commander to ensure that any violations of policy
are inve stigated and appropriate training, counseling, and/or dis ciplinary action is
initiate d.
This directive is for intern al use only and does not enlarge an employee’s civil liability in
any way. It should not be construed as the creation of a higher standard of safety or case
in an evidentiary sense, concerning third -party claims. Violation o f this directive, if
proven, ca n only form the basis of a complaint by this D epartment, and then only in a
non-judicial administrative setting.
V. DEFINITIONS
A. RENTAL VEHICLE – Any veh icle used by the Department and not equipped with
emergency lights, siren s, special factory -equipped police package , or mounted radio
equipment. These v ehicles will be rented from a private company.
B. OTHER NON -POLICE EQUIPPED VEHICLE – Any vehicle which is utilized by
the Department and not purchased through the Department of Gene ral Services.
These vehicles a re not equipped with emergency lights, siren s, radios, or special
police package equipment.
C. TAKE -HOME VEHICLE – Any Department vehicle which has been assigned to a
particular person, based on the nature of their assignment, t hat is to be used for
official police business and that the designated empl oyee may drive to and from
their place of business.
D. MARKED VEHICLE – Any Police vehicl e that is equip ped with emergency lights,
siren s, and police radio and the vehicle has markings that are easil y and readily
identi fiable as a department vehicle. [CALEA 41.3.1]
E. SPECIALTY VEHICLE – Any Department vehicle that houses speci alized
equipment beyo nd a standard installation for a police vehicle. Vehicles in this
category inclu de K-9, Special Weapons and Tactics ( SWAT ), Explosive Ordinance
Disposal (EOD ), and Forensics .
F. RESPOND TO AFTER HOUR CALL BACK/INVESTIGATIONS TO A SCENE
– An imm ediate response is required by detectives to respond to a scen e to initiate
an investigation.
G. INCIDENT MANAGEM ENT RESPONSE – A response within 30 minutes to an
incident to include SWAT , Hostage Negotiations, E OD Team , and critical Systems
Failure ( Departme nt of Emergency Communications ( DEC ) and Information
Technology ( IT)).
Page 3 of 8 General O rder 3 -10 (07/31/2024)
TAKE-HOME VEHICLES