Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Sheriff Says Breakdowns Are Often On Aging Fleet

Patrol cars in the Nevada County Sheriff's Department fleet are aging.

Most have more than 100,000 miles on them, with one registering more than 240,000 miles. The vehicle driven by Sheriff Harold Vines, a 1994 Ford, already has 95,700 miles on it.

This is creating problems within the department as the vehicles are breaking down from constant use. At this time, one vehicle, driven by deputy Roy Frazier, with more than 200,000 miles, is in the shop getting its engine rebuilt.

According to Vines, this will cost the department more than $2,000. However, he said rebuilding the engine is still less expensive than having to put a new one in the car.

The vehicle driven by Jason Arrington, in the southern part of the county (with 244,000 miles) is having problems with its rear axle bearings. Vines said when inspected the mechanic said they were worn out.

"I put in the budget (for 1996) three new cars this year," Vines said. "They were all cut out by the (Nevada County Quorum) court."

Vines returned to the court requesting a new car be purchased about two months ago, but was again refused.

Members of the court have cited a lack of funds as the reason for not buying new cars for the NCSO.

"We're doing the best we can on response times," Vines said. "But sometimes we have to double up. I have recommended the men not push (the vehicles) because of the safety factor and the condition they're in. You never know what might happen."

Vines is letting Frazier use his car while the sheriff is making use of his personal pickup while on duty.

"We have no choice," he said. "We have to make these repairs, but our budget is being eaten up quickly. We'll do what we can until the money runs out, then we'll go back to the quorum court and ask for more money for repairs."

Because of the undependability of the cars, Vines takes most prisoners to the state prison himself. This is because his patrol car has the fewest miles on it.

This is also done because one of the patrol cars broke down in Malvern when a deputy was taking a prisoner to the penitentiary.

"I don't know what we're going to do," Vines said. "I worry about the cars breaking down and the men being stranded."

Vehicles driven by Arrington and Wayne Kisselburg have had to be towed in for repairs.

"This is bad on morale for the men," he said, "having to use equipment like this. They're doing all they can to baby them (the cars) and make them last as long as they can."

The vehicles are on regular maintenance programs, including getting the oil changed every 3,000 miles. Except for the vehicle getting its engine rebuilt. Before going to the shop, this car, a 1989 Chevrolet, used a quart of oil every two tanks of gas and smoked.

"It was embarrassing," Vines said of the car. "We have no choice but to patch them up and keep using them."

There are approximately 1,000 miles of roads in Nevada County. Deputies with the NCSO drive an average of 3,000 miles per month. Vines said he has driven as many as 6,000 miles in a month when having to drive between Prescott and Pine Bluff to take inmates to Tucker or Cummings, or pick them up for court appearances.

"Law enforcement's not like it was 20 years ago," he said. "The work load has increased. Crime has increased, and, in turn, the wear and tear on the vehicles has increased."

According to vehicle records at the NCSO, the last new vehicle bought was for Jim Westmoreland, a 1993 Chevrolet.

In several instances, used cars have been purchased by the department from other law enforcement agencies. These cars all have at least 50,000 miles on them at the time they are bought by the NCSO. These include two 1989 Chevrolets, a 1988 Ford and a 1993 Ford.

Other cars in the fleet include a 1994 Ford, driven by the sheriff, a 1991 Chevrolet and a 1993 Chevy.

"You can't run a fleet of police cars without replacing one every year," Vines said.

He expects to go over budget for repairs and maintenance again this year. In 1995, the NCSO had a budget of $6,000 for maintenance and repair, but spent more than $1,400 more than this to keep the cars on the roads.

The repair budget for 1996 is also $6,000, with $1,700 budgeted for engine repairs. The $1,700 will not be enough to pay the cost of rebuilding the one in the shop now.

"It's frustrating," Vines said.

Nevada County Judge John Barham agrees with Vines' frustration, but said there's nothing the court can do at this point. In fact, he said all departments could run out of money before the end of the year.

Barham is also having similar problems with equipment for the road and bridge department. He said vehicles have been parked and scavenged to keep others running.

"I know he has cars with a lot of miles on them, but there's no money in the budget for new cars," Barham said."I don't know what to do."

While in Little Rock recently, Barham looked at used police cars at the state's redistribution center. He said there were several turned in by the Arkansas State Police, but all had at least 100,000 miles on them. "They were clean inside and the engines," he said. The asking price was about $6,000 per vehicle.

In addition, Barham said the Missouri State Police cars will cost more to purchase in the future. These cars normally have about 50,000 miles on them when they are resold to other departments.

The county judge has been having to buy used equipment for the road department as well, including the purchase of two pickups three months ago.

"It looks like the budget meetings are going to get harder and harder," he said. "I don't know what we're going to do for police cars. The money's not in county general or in the Sheriff's budget.

"I'm fighting to keep the road and bridge department out of the red. We're not getting any taxes and no industry's coming in. It's not getting any better."