OCSD has difficulty finding new patrol vehicle in face of vehicle shortage

Ozark County Sheriff Cass Martin and OCSD administrative assistant Curtis Ledbetter attended this week’s commissioners’ meeting to discuss bids on a patrol vehicle the Ozark County Sheriff’s Department hopes to purchase in the near future. 

“This is to replace the vehicle that was in a traffic accident back in May,” Martin said. “[Deputy] Cecilia [Boatner] was in the Theodosia area when a vehicle pulled out and hit her. It was no fault to our deputy, but we have to replace that vehicle.”

The wrecked patrol vehicle that Boatner drove is a 2018 Dodge Ram pickup. 

Martin said the search for a new patrol vehicle has been tough.

“It’s been horrible...a nightmare,” he said. “There just wasn’t anything anywhere. We couldn’t find one whatsoever. We had looked at the Missouri State Highway Patrol to see if they had any used vehicles they were cycling back out of service, but they didn’t. It was really hard to find one.”

The department’s difficult vehicle search is one that has been felt nationwide as a global microchip shortage and supply chain issues related to the covid pandemic have caused an unheard-of vehicle supply shortage. 

“Then about two weeks ago we found a vehicle that matched the needs of the sheriff’s department. We put a bid [notice] into the paper, and we’ve got a few bids,” Martin said.

The first vehicle the OCSD found that it was interested in was in Memphis, Tennessee – a 2021 Ford F-150 that was completely outfitted for police service. Martin said that vehicle was around $36,000.

“We had several agencies out there looking for us one, and they came across this one. So we had to jump on it real quick, but we also needed to do all the right steps to buy it,” Martin said, referring to the state’s rules that certain taxpayer-funded purchases must be put out for bid or purchased under the statewide bid parameters. 

“In the time being, we’ve actually found a 2020 Dodge pickup that’s a little bit under the price of what the Ford is,” Martin said, later telling the Times that the Dodge was around $28,000. “So we’ll probably go with the Dodge.”

While the notice asked for prices on a vehicle equipped with “law enforcement upfitting (lights, sirens, pre-wired radio console and antennas),” the Dodge’s price did not include that in the cost. Martin said it would cost $2,000 to $3,000 additional to outfit the vehicle, a purchase that is not required to be put out for bids. 

Martin said he’d like to table the final decision until the next commissioners’ meeting. In response, Presiding Commissioner John Turner made a motion to table the discussion to 9 a.m. Monday, July 26. Eastern District Commissioner Gary Collins seconded the motion, and all commissioners voted “aye.” 

The final decision as to which vehicle to purchase will be made at that meeting.