Sheriff, undersheriff show that cops love to shop!
“Why not buy them a tank?” Mono County Supervisor Johnston responded to the Sheriff’s Department request for the purchase of new and bigger vehicles.
The Mono County Sheriff’s Department asked Mono County Supervisors to approve the $320,000 purchase of five 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe four-wheel drive police patrol vehicles for its depleting fleet.
Johnston argued that the new SUVs, a bigger, beefier version of the standard rural police vehicle, the Ford Interceptor, would not embody the county ideal of being friendly to both the environment and the budget. Meanwhile, the department feels the Tahoe is the right vehicle for the job.
The cost of the new vehicles would be an additional $.40 per mile and $50,000 a year for the department motor pool. The additional charges would be similar no matter what model vehicle is purchased, according to the department.
The new vehicles would replace Ford Explorers “that exceeded or will exceed their useful mileage (130,000 miles) in the coming months” according to the agenda bill. The Mono County Sheriff’s Department did not purchase vehicles in the 2013 budget cycle.
Johnston said that the justification for bigger vehicles in the past was that people are getting larger and the officers need more room for their “weaponry.” Johnston said more emphasis should be given to fuel efficiency and overall operating costs.
Undersheriff Michael Moriarty called the police vehicles a “rolling office” for department personnel, a one-stop shop, similar to a paramedic. His vehicle, for example, can include snow or extreme weather gear, as well as search and rescue tools.
Sheriff Ingrid Braun told the board the Tahoe also provides three additional inches of clearance as compared to the existing fleet, helpful when you have 3,000-square miles to cover, much of it on dirt roads, driving over boulders in some cases, pulling people out of snow banks, or rescuing folks who follow their GPS directions to a fault and nearly end up in Mono Lake (true story). Moriarty said in talking with CHP officers, they say the Ford Interceptor is squirrelly in the snow.
The Tahoe also has a calibrated speedometer, which many of the current vehicles do not have. Braun explained that if a person wanted to challenge a speeding ticket in court, the department could not verify the actual speed as displayed on the vehicle’s gauge.
Johnston argued that the new vehicles would not be in line with county desires for consistency with its vehicles. On the same note, Braun said the department is looking at changing the color scheme of its fleet from the nearly all white with blue lettering to the traditional black and white.
The Tahoe’s cost more, an estimated $64,000 each compared to the $35,000 price tag of the Interceptor. Braun made the caveat that the 2016 Interceptor model is being revamped and will come with a much larger price tag. She said by purchasing the Tahoes, the initial expense is going to be higher, but it is a superior vehicle for the needs of the department.
The department is “piggybacking” with Ventura County on a vehicle contract that Mono County already has, so there are savings to be realized by buying now as opposed to buying them later as an individual entity.
Supervisor Tim Fesko asked if the department could buy two Tahoes to see how they handle. Moriarty said the department needs seven new vehicles but only asked for five. He said some of the department’s vehicles have outlived their usefulness, or will be ready for replacement once new vehicles arrive this fall.
Johnston didn’t buy the department’s rationale. He said the purchase is not in line with current budget limitations and contradicts Governor Jerry Brown’s energy initiative to reduce carbon emissions by 40 percent (of 1990 levels).
The board voted 4 to 1 in favor of the purchase. Johnston’s was the dissenting vote.
