Warsaw City Council approved a change in the police department's Personal Patrol Vehicle Program Monday, allowing family members to ride in the vehicles when the officer is off duty.

The motion to approve the change was made by a longtime opponent of the program - Councilman Dewey Lawshe.

"After talking with Chief (Stephen) Foster, I'm going to make a turnaround. I'm convinced he will strictly enforce the rules of the program," he said. "Wile I've been against this program in the past, I believe we should give him the opportunity to make it work."

The change in the PPV program also encourages the officers participating in the program to park their vehicles on the street during daylight hours when not on duty.

Not all council members were supportive of the change. Councilmen Paul Siebenmorgen and Jerry Patterson, the only two council members returning in January, expressed reservations about the proposal on the grounds of increased liability risk and on the number of officers who live outside the city limits of Warsaw.

"I'd like someone to give me a firm cost of having these cars driving all over the county," Patterson said. "In order to make it effective, we need to have these cars in the city of Warsaw, and I don't see that happening."

Foster said today the program is designed to increase the amount of service his department provides the community - whether it is getting key personnel on the SWAT or dive teams to a location quickly, or providing a high visibility presence on city, county or state roads.

"The visibility has an impact not only in town, but it also assists the county and the state," he said.

Foster said both he and Capt. Craig Allebach will continue to monitor the program, particularly in terms of fuel costs, to make sure the program is both effective and efficient.

Siebenmorgen said he would prefer to have the incoming council consider the policy in January.

"I don't think we, as this council, should be voting on this. I think we should leave this up to the next council," he said.

That motion was defeated and the amended PPV program was approved, with council members Tammy Rockey, Lawshe, Mac Silveus and Porter Polston voting in favor. Patterson and Siebenmorgen were opposed.

In other business, Mayor Ernie Wiggins presented departing council members Rockey, Lawshe, Silveus, Polston and the family of Gene Brumfield with plaques commemorating their years of service to the city.

Rockey served one term on the city council and was the council representative on the redevelopment commission and the cemetery board.

Lawshe, a one-term councilman, served on the aviation board and was the public utility liaison for the city.

Brumfield was a two-term councilman, serving on the board of zoning appeals and the traffic commission.

Polston, a two-term councilman, served on the traffic commission, cemetery board and housing authority, and was council representative on the board of the Kosciusko County Solid Waste Management District.

Silveus, a three-term councilman, served on the plan commission, traffic commission and the board of public works and safety, and was the council representative to the Warsaw Community Development Corp. [[In-content Ad]]