Sheriff, constables and precincts discuss tasers, radios and vehicle needs in budget workshop
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Summary
Law enforcement presenters told the commissioners court the county's less-lethal and radio equipment is aging and requested consideration of a five-year taser procurement and vehicle upgrades. Commissioners asked for coordination with the sheriff for bulk pricing and for precise quotes for radios, mobile video and vehicles.
Van Zandt County law enforcement and precinct representatives asked the commissioners court to fund updated less-lethal devices, radios and replacement patrol vehicles, saying some existing tasers, radios and vehicle equipment are no longer supported and should be replaced through a planned procurement rather than ad-hoc purchases.
The request matters because officers said current equipment is aging and becoming unsupported by manufacturers, which undermines training, safety and interoperability across agencies. Officials recommended coordinating purchases with the sheriff's office for bulk pricing and assessing grant opportunities.
At the workshop, a public-safety presenter explained the X26 taser cartridges and batteries are no longer made; the vendor quoted a five-year replacement and service contract for new devices that includes training and recurring support (presenters discussed a per-unit/annualized figure that workshop participants described in several ways; a cited range during discussion was roughly below $1,000 per device on a multi-year contract). Police and precinct staff also discussed mobile radios and video systems: one Harris radio quote (after discount) was discussed in the transcript at an amount several thousand dollars per vehicle; presenters said they were also seeking Motorola or other vendor quotes and asked procurement and IT to compare packages before finalizing commitments. Several presenters said a patrol Tahoe previously purchased cost roughly $73,000 and that full equipment fit-outs and radio installs can add materially to vehicle cost.
Commissioners asked about centralized procurement, interagency coordination and phased buy plans; they asked sheriff's office and procurement staff to present exact vendor quotes, potential grant sources, and options to purchase as a county-wide program to lower per-unit costs. No formal procurement decisions were made at the workshop.
