Court ruling in take home car dispute

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - The Indiana Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the City of Fort Wayne in a dispute over whether police officers should be reimbursed for injuries suffered in accidents involving take home squad cars when they are off-duty.

The case involved an off-duty police officer who got into a traffic accident in her take home police car in December of 2006.  Officer Michaeline Jones suffered minor injuries which required medical treatment.  She sought reimbursement from the City for those out-of-pocket expenses.  Jones claimed she was injured "while performing her duty".

Fort Wayne Police Chief Rusty York issued the following statement following the ruling:

We are gratified by this decision. The City has hundreds of take-home police vehicles and the potential liability that the City faced if the courts had ruled in favor of the PBA may well have threatened the continued viability of our take-home vehicle program. Officers injured while on duty deserve and will receive necessary compensation, but the City cannot afford to compensate officers for injuries unrelated to police functions.