Commissioners direct review after finding sheriff’s vehicles, evidence and spare parts scattered across county sites

Commissioners raised concerns Oct. 22 about county‑held vehicles, evidence and equipment that the sheriff’s office stores at multiple offsite locations and at times in facilities or lots rented by the county.

A commissioner said the sheriff’s office has been keeping vehicles and other items in several locations, including dozens of spare back seats taken from patrol rigs when vehicles were upfitted. ‘‘We literally have dozens of seats that are brand new but are expired, and we no longer own the vehicles,’’ the commissioner said, and urged the county to consolidate and properly dispose of items that are no longer needed.

County administrator Brian Dansel and others noted disposing of evidence can be legally complex. Dansel said some items might be retained because of cold‑case potential — for example, DNA testing advances could make old evidence valuable in future investigations — and that legal counsel should be involved to define retention schedules. At the same time, commissioners said Public Works’ budget should not be burdened by long‑term storage of items the county no longer needs.

Commissioners asked staff to identify where items are being stored, determine which items can be disposed of through surplus procedures, and prepare a consolidated plan that minimizes cost and respects evidentiary hold requirements. Public Works and county legal counsel were asked to advise on next steps.