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Sheriff's office warns of aging fleet, proposes leasing as an option
Summary
A representative of the Fairfield County Sheriff's Office told council the department faces a 'vehicle crisis' with many units exceeding 100,000 miles and urged the county to consider leasing as an alternative to purchase.
The Fairfield County Sheriff's Office told the council Monday that its patrol and specialized vehicles are aging and creating safety and reliability concerns, and it urged the county to consider leasing programs as a potential long-term solution.
Brad Douglas, speaking on behalf of Sheriff Montgomery, described the county—leet as "in a critical situation" with approximately 40 frontline vehicles that rack up heavy-duty miles. "We have 26 vehicles that are 10 to 15 years old," Douglas said. "Four of those are over 200,000 miles and 14 have more than 150,000 miles." He said high-mileage, high-stress usage increases the likelihood of engine and transmission failures and can compromise performance during emergency responses.
Douglas told the council the sheriff's office has been forced to rent vehicles at times and that some deputies have driven personal vehicles to work because of the shortage of spares. He also described instances in which an investigator en route to a death investigation was delayed when a spare vehicle failed.
The sheriff epartment described two main procurement options: continue buying vehicles on the current replacement cycle (roughly 3.3 new vehicles per year over the past five years) or move to a multi-year leasing program that several other local agencies use. "Generally [leases are for] five years," Douglas said, and leasing arrangements tend to lower maintenance costs and provide higher resale value credits, he said. The department invited leasing vendors to brief the council on options and offered to provide more detailed cost comparisons.
Council members acknowledged the county's broader fleet challenges, noting fire and EMS agencies face similar issues, and expressed willingness to review leasing analyses during budget planning. The county's budget cycle was noted: any vehicle acquisitions approved in the coming budget would likely deliver late in the fiscal year.
No formal motion or vote was taken on the fleet; the presentation was informational and council members asked to be briefed further in follow-up meetings and budget discussions.
