news-record.com

A resident accused a Gibsonville police officer of misusing a town vehicle and wasting tax money at a Board of Aldermen meeting Monday.

Paul Dean showed photos of a person putting a baby in an unmarked white Crown Victoria while parked in a handicapped space, and taking the vehicle on an apparent shopping trip to a Belk’s.

Dean said the officer drives the car to and from home in Rockingham County each day and uses it to drop off a child at a nursery in Reidsville, in a different area of the county. Dean said taxpayers shouldn’t pay for the wear on the car, and the police chief and the officer should at least repay the town for the fuel costs. He said transporting a baby in the vehicle is a financial liability for the town. Dean called for the firing of the chief and officer.

Dean is a planning board member, and his daughter is a secretary for the police department.

He wouldn’t say who took the photos, which appear to have been taken in the winter. The shopping photos were taken on a weekend, Dean said.

The town’s police department allows employees who need to be available for emergency response 24 hours a day to drive their vehicles to and from work, Police Chief Mike Woznick said.

"It is a mainstream, normal practice" in the state and nation, Woznick said. "I didn’t spend 28 years in law enforcement to screw up right before retirement," he said. "We are above board and incorruptible."

Town Attorney Doug Hoy said the town received a complaint in early May and did an internal investigation. "Appropriate actions were taken to correct any and all problems, and we continue to monitor the situation," he said.

Woznick and Hoy said they couldn’t comment further on Dean’s complaint because it is a personnel issue.

The town has no written policy on taking home vehicles or rules on how far outside town limits an employee can live.

Alderman Ken Pleasants said if the situation Dean described is true, he would consider the use of the car an abuse of tax dollars.

Several residents have questioned the use of take-home vehicles over the last six months or so, Mayor Lenny Williams said.

He said maybe the town should consider establishing a policy on take-home vehicles.

Williams confirmed the vehicle in the photos is a Gibsonville police car.

Transporting a child in a town car is "a possible liability," Williams said. "There’s no doubt about that."

He said his understanding is that the baby is not being transported in the vehicle any more.

Police policy states that civilians can be transported in a police vehicle if he or she is under arrest or if it serves some other criminal justice related function, during emergencies, if it serves the public interest, if there is no other reasonable possibility of a person getting needed transportation, and in cases of domestic violence. The policy states that civilian transportation shouldn’t be beyond town limits.

Any other transportation must be approved by the police chief.

Contact Jamie Kennedy Jones at 449-4610 or jamie.kennedy@news-record.com.