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Warsaw's Police Department is not the only one in the area with a take-home vehicle program.
Besides the departments in Fort Wayne and South Bend, which allow families to ride in PPVs, Elkhart has a take-home vehicle program, said police chief Dennis Bechtel.
Elkhart puts limitations on families in squad cars, Bechtel said, but "there are occasions where families ride."
"I think that with increased visibility and availability of police manpower and intervention the better off the community is, whether or not the family is with them," he said.
The liability question has never been raised in Elkhart, Bechtel said.
Wabash also has a PPV program that asks officers' families to sign waivers before riding, Chief Jerry Mullett said, and has had no problems with their program.
Plymouth does not have a PPV program, nor does Rochester, according to their police chiefs.
Goshen and Peru have partial programs, and in both cities families are allowed to ride in squad cars that are off duty.
"We don't promote the use of cars for family activities, we just use our common sense," said Peru Police Chief Dave Van Baalen. Goshen Assistant Chief Jerry Bigler said there has been no problem with families riding in off-duty PPVs.
