Martin County Sheriff's Fleet

 

 

Several weeks have passed since we reported on Martin County's "light

fleet", so we thought it appropriate to again discuss vehicles bought

with taxpayer dollars, this time in the Sheriff's domain.

 

The Sheriff's office has a total of 299 vehicle shaving a depreciated

book value of approximately $2,157,900.  After three years of purchasing

vehicles at an annual cost of between  $362,000 and $528,000 the

sheriff's 2002-03 budget requests $1,211,227 for new vehicles. This

figure is inordinately high when compared to past years purchases and

total fleet book value . The average age of vehicles is 2-3 years,the

useful life, 5 to 6 years depending on mileage. Once a  sedan acquires

the label of police cruiser,its book value plummets we are told.

 

The makeup of the Sheriff's fleet ranges from  transportation vans for

prisoners, Sport Utility vehicles for management and the Marine Patrol,

Military vehicles(ie 6x6 trucks), ATVs, Motorcycles,  pickup trucks, a

wrecker, a bomb disposal vehicle, and a mobile command post which fits

the description of a large motor home containing a communications center

and other equipment specific to such tasks as sobriety testing, etc.  Of

course, the majority of vehicles are police cruisers, mostly Ford Crown

Victorias. In a forward thinking, innovative program, the sheriff is

experimenting with 12 highly efficient hybrid cars to evaluate their

usefulness in non-chase applications.

 

Each Sheriff's deputy has an assigned vehicle.  That vehicle may  be

taken home at the end of the shift so long as home is not more than 10

miles from the Martin County line. The Sheriff justifies this practice

on the premise that individuals take better care of vehicles assigned

specifically to them,  deputies with their own cars can mobilize more

quickly, and police cars have a

"calming effect"  when parked overnight in certain neighborhoods.  There

are no income tax implications accruing to deputies who drive a clearly

marked police car, so this is a tax-free benefit. Each vehicle is

assigned a "gas boy" key  which enables fleet management to keep track

of fuel usage for each vehicle, however there is no means of

differentiating between  work versus pleasure mileage, and only major

variances in mileage from the norm are questioned.

 

Supporting this fleet is a completely equipped   shop with a staff of

seven who routinely service sheriff's vehicles every 3000-4000

miles,.which , they report, extends vehicle life and nips problems in

the bud.

 

The Sheriff's ground forces are complemented by his Navy and Air force.

Specifically, he has 4 patrol boats manned by one marine patrol deputy

each and is requesting another, a fifth, to extend coverage in 2002-3.

The sheriff's air arm consists of 2 active helicopters with pilots, 2

standby helicopters and 7 others(military surplus) which are used for

their spare parts.

 

It will require a separate study to determine how the Sheriff's marine

assets complement or coordinate with those of the other agencies, e.g.;

Florida Marine Patrol, US Coast Guard, Jupiter Island Marine Patrol,

Florida Fish and Wildlife, etc., etc. with respect to

scheduling,function, and location, and that study is underway. We'll let

you know