Sheriff's department adds to fleet

In the midst of the United Auto Workers strike—which reached a tentative agreement with General Motors on October 30—law enforcement departments have had to be creative when it comes to restocking their fleet. Carbon County is no different.

At the October 17 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC), Sheriff Alex Bakken requested permission from the commissioner to purchase two used vehicles, both Ford Explorers which were already police packaged.

“It means they are ready to equip, there’s no retrofitting needed, we don’t need to modify them. They’re actually ready to go right into service,” said Bakken. “The equipment that we need will be able to seamlessly integrate right into the vehicle.”

Commissioner John Johnson asked Bakken if he had the opportunity to see the vehicles in person and look them over before making the purchase request. The sheriff said he hadn’t, due to the location of the vehicles.

“They are in Melrose Park, Illinois. It’s a used fleet dealership for law enforcement specific vehicles,” said Bakken. “I searched all over trying to find a used law enforcement vehicle and it is just about impossible. I did find a 1997 Crown Victoria in Colorado.”

One of the reasons it may be difficult to find such used vehicles is due to other law enforcement departments trying to make their aging fleets last. In Madison, Alabama, for example, the Madison Police Department has replaced engines in their fleet or have even rolled out older vehicles from their reserve fleet. The Madison Police Chief told local news that the shortage of fleet vehicles was leading to bidding wars among law enforcement agencies.

That vehicle shortage, it seems, can be tied to the moratorium placed on vehicle production during the COVID-19 pandemic. Once production resumed, manufacturers began filling orders for private citizens while fleet vehicles appeared to take a back seat. Law enforcement aren’t the only first responders struggling with this shortage. Ambulance services have also taken a hit.

At the September 19 meeting of the BOCCC, the commissioners were informed by Carbon County Clerk Gwynn Bartlett that Memorial Hospital of Carbon County had placed a chassis on hold and requested a waiver of the state-required competitive bidding process to secure a new ambulance. A shortage of ambulances in the country has meant that many hospitals and ambulance services are waiting for up to five years to add to their already limited fleet. Part of the issue was that chassis typically used for ambulances were used for pickup trucks in 2020 and 2021.

“I would like to thank the sheriff for entertaining the notion of looking at used vehicles that are good and suitable for us,” said Johnson. “In our day and age, vehicles are outrageously high, so spending taxpayer dollars prudently is to be commended.”

A motion to waive the county procurement policy passed unanimously.

The next meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners will be at 9 a.m. on November 7 at the Carbon Building - Courthouse Annex in Rawlins, Wyoming.