CHICAGO – Cook County board members are beginning to question how county vehicles are used and what guidelines are followed in the purchase and management of fleet vehicles, according to the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper. A Sun-Times article in February reported that 33 state´s attorney vehicles were found to be unused in a county parking lot. Many other vehicles are not properly accounted for and need to be tracked better, said board members. The majority of county vehicles are used by the sheriff´s office. This includes 250 buses and vans and 500 squad cars that can be taken home at night by patrol officers. Residents have called their county officials to report misuse of vehicles paid for with taxpayer money, according to board members. Vehicles are often seen at the grocery store or in shopping center parking lots on weekends. County board member Michael Quigley said he would like to create one pool of cars for the entire county and employees can sign a vehicle out when needed. These vehicles would have the county logo on the side to deter personal use and make them more recognizable.
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