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Randall County Sheriff’s Office to upgrade FARO 3D scanner with $52,244 purchase using federal forfeiture funds
Summary
The Commissioners Court approved a $52,244.32 purchase to upgrade one FARO 3D scanner, with a $17,543 trade-in credit, to speed crime-scene scanning and allow on-scene registration; the sheriff will use federal forfeiture funds to pay the cost.
The Randall County Commissioners Court on April 8 approved a purchase to upgrade one FARO 3D laser scanner used by the sheriff’s office crime-lab team.
The approved quote totals $52,244.32; the vendor offered a trade-in credit of $17,543 for the county’s returning scanner. Sheriff's officials told the court the purchase would replace one of two scanners the office currently uses and that funds are available in the sheriff’s federal forfeiture fund to cover the cost.
Sergeant Bobby Doke of the Randall County Sheriff’s Office said the upgraded unit is about 50% faster than the current scanner, can register scans on scene (reducing office stitching time) and allows technicians to confirm coverage before leaving a scene. He said keeping a second, older scanner as a backup was part of the plan and that the upgrade also provides updated software and computer integration used in crime-scene documentation.
Commissioners discussed the equipment’s public-safety uses beyond evidence processing: Doke and others said the scanned models are used for training and to help first responders plan responses to fires, evacuations and active-shooter scenarios. The office said the purchase was recommended to save on time spent at scenes and to retain a higher trade-in credit by upgrading now rather than later.
The motion to approve the upgrade carried 5-0. The sheriff’s office will proceed with the purchase and arrange the trade-in under the vendor’s terms.
