Sheriff's office purchasing new patrol car, detective vehicles

With approval from the Lincoln County Commissioners on Wednesday, the sheriff’s office is moving forward on a line change with three department vehicles.

Commissioners on Monday approved a request from the sheriff’s office to replace three vehicles, a patrol car and two detective cars, with $90,000 budgeted for the swap.

Undersheriff Brandon Huff on Wednesday said all three cars are well past their prime as safe and efficient vehicles for the department. The patrol vehicle in line for a replacement is running on it’s second motor with over 200,000 miles on the chassis. The ball joints on the two detective vehicles are also overdue, along with the other repairs that would total several thousand dollars to bring the two cars into a safe condition.

“We’re expected to respond sometimes at relatively high speeds to call and these are not safe vehicles to have on the road,” Huff said.

Of the $90,000 allocated for the three new cars, the new patrol car will be the first priority. With approval from the commissioners, Huff will first order a new patrol car, expected to cost around $40,000, and use the remaining funds to purchase two used vehicles for detectives.

“The patrol vehicle is the priority,” Huff said. “Once that’s done, we’ll look at the remaining vehicles.”

In order to afford the three new cars, the sheriff’s office will have to give up a facility project that had already been budgeted. The department had been looking to expand its evidence shed, a project that would have made things like storing cars easier on the department.

“That is not a need, that is a nicety,” Huff said. “We’re in a position now where getting little bonuses and perks, like a little better-working evidence facility, is probably not the priority. Having man power on the street and reliable vehicles is more of a priority.”

Amid the budget process, the sheriff’s office is also looking to trim their budget by two mills, approximately $63,000. Commissioner Mark Peck assured Huff that if “something goes to hell in a hand basket,” the budget could later be amended to serve the sheriff’s office’s needs. A similar situation arose in the county road department last year, Peck said, when a piece of heavy equipment needed repairs that cost around $15,000. At the end of the year, the county was able to bring the road department’s budget out of the red.

Huff said certain components of the sheriff’s office budget, like the $90,000 allocated for fuel, can be reallocated if the department meets a financial hurdle.

For now, Huff will move forward with purchasing a new patrol car to determine what will remain for financing the two detective cars.

“We’re looking for the vehicles that will make the most sense to utilize those funds well,” Huff said.

Reporter Seaborn Larson may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at slarson@dailyinterlake.com.