Answer: The situation you refered to in Northern Kentucky appeared in an Associated Press article on January 23, 2008, under the heading “Towns try to collect fees for police service from ou-of town drivers blamed for accidents.” The article stated that: “The self-proclaimed “Friendship City” has decided it’s tired of being a doormat for motorists from neighboring communities. When police in this Cincinnati suburb respond to an accident in which an out-of-town driver is at fault, the city plans to start issuing a bill: $14 for the first 30 minutes that an officer is on the scene and an additional $7 for every 15 minutes thereafter. Use of a police car brings an additional $154 charge. Erlanger is just the latest example of cities using such methods to try to recover the costs of providing police services. Most of the communities have been small towns, but medium-sized cities such as Ocala, Fla., are also poised to act, and even metropolitan areas have expressed interest.” 

To check on Lexington’s policy on charging for fire department services, I spoke with fire department spokesperson Sondra Wilson.  She says that the only time a person recives a bill in response to city fire department trucks or ambulances services is when an ambulance transports a person to the hospital.  There’s no set fee for this service, it depends on the distance traveled, aid rendered,etc. 

 I talked to a spokesperson for the police department that said all services provided by the city police department are free including when the police take an accident report or when they come to a person’s home to investigate a complaint or offense. It’s all part of the department’s community services effort. There is a nominal processing fee when a person picks up a copy of an accident or police report but that’s the only charge involved.

 Linda Niemi