Manatee County commissioners approve retirement resolution for officer Al, authorize roughly $9,000 for polygraph equipment

Manatee County commissioners approved a resolution honoring a retiring officer known in the meeting as Al and authorized reallocating roughly $9,000 to purchase polygraph equipment, Sheriff Manue said at the April 9 meeting.

Sheriff Manue told the board that because the retiring officer handled polygraph duties the sheriff's office must equip a replacement who is scheduled to attend training that "only comes once a year." He said the equipment will cost about $9,000 and proposed moving money from a line item originally budgeted for a dispatch board repair that was since fixed. "I think it's eight about $9,000," Manue said.

Commissioners moved to approve presentation of the retiring officer's badge and gun and then voted to authorize the reallocation and purchase. The board approved both measures by voice vote; no roll-call tally was provided in the transcript.

According to the sheriff, the dispatch consoles are long overdue for replacement and have been patched as they age; he said the county had planned to address full console replacement in an upcoming budget cycle. The action approved on April 9 shifts existing funds from a repair line to cover the immediate equipment purchase so the new polygrapher can attend training with the required equipment.

The meeting also moved on to the claims agenda, which the chair introduced and the board approved as presented.

Next steps identified in the meeting: staff are to complete paperwork associated with the retiring officer's resolution and proceed with the reallocation and equipment purchase as authorized. The transcript does not record a formal procurement schedule, vendor name, or a roll-call vote count.