Fairfield County sheriff's office warns council of critical vehicle shortage, proposes leasing option

Brad Douglas, speaking on behalf of the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office, told the Fairfield County Council on Feb. 20 that the sheriff’s vehicle fleet is aging and at times unsafe, and urged the council to consider alternatives including leasing to ensure dependable patrol and specialized vehicles.

Douglas said the office operates roughly 40 vehicles with more than 100,000 miles, 14 vehicles with more than 150,000 miles and four vehicles with more than 200,000 miles. He said 26 vehicles are 10 to 15 years old and that high-mileage, high-use patrol vehicles have required repeated major repairs, including new transmissions and engines. He said the office recently rented vehicles because no spares were available and at least one deputy drove a personal vehicle to work when a county vehicle was unusable.

The sheriff’s office has gained three school resource officer vehicles via a grant, Douglas said, which freed older marked cars for patrol use, but he warned the department remains short of specialized four-wheel-drive vehicles used in severe weather and for civil-process, narcotics and criminal-investigations units. He said those specialized units include some of the highest-mileage cars.

Douglas presented two procurement paths: continue buying vehicles as in past years — he said the county has averaged about 3.3 new vehicles per year (about 18 over the last five years) — or pursue a vehicle-leasing program other jurisdictions use. He said typical lease terms he’d seen run about five years and that leasing can yield lower maintenance costs, more consistent replacements and higher resale credit at lease-end. He requested the council allow a leasing vendor to present details at a future meeting and asked the council to consider vehicle funding when preparing the FY2026 budget.

Vice Chair Bale and other council members acknowledged the countywide nature of the issue, noting the fire department faces similar aging-equipment problems and offering to meet with the sheriff’s office to review options. Douglas said the sheriff’s office is open to council members inspecting its fleet and that purchasing lead times mean new vehicles ordered after the budget is adopted would likely arrive late in the fiscal year.

The presentation included requests for further analysis rather than a formal motion; no procurement action was taken at the meeting.

Douglas: “We have a total of about 40 vehicles with over 100,000 miles… 14 of those, over 150,000 miles… 4 of those, over 200,000 miles driven every day.”

Ending: Council members asked staff and the sheriff’s office to continue conversations during budget planning; no binding decision or appropriation was made at the Feb. 20 meeting.