SHERIFF’S OFFICE REQUESTING NEW VEHICLES
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office will be getting some new vehicles if they are approved by the County Commissioners Tuesday.
On the agenda for Tuesday morning’s Washington County Commissioners meeting is a request to grant the Sheriff’s office the authority to purchase five 2018 Chevy Tahoes and one 2018 Chevy Silverado Crew Cab Pickup. The purchases would be made from the 2018 County budget.
Another item on the agenda also deals with the Sheriff’s Office, granting the authority to advertise for proposals for jail inmate payphone services.
Moving forward with the new District 3 EMS satellite station in Burton, the Commissioners are expected to name Washington County Facilities Manager Charlie Hakemack as the General Contractor for the project.
In addition, they will proclaim Thursday, October 26th as “Think Pink Thursday” in Washington County.
The Commissioners will meet Tuesday at 9 a.m. in room 103 of the Washington County Courthouse in Brenham.
A few weeks ago when the subject of using rebuilt vs. new vehicles came up the emphasis was that these were patrol vehicles, now we hear that these vehicles are to be used by investigators. I guess in a few more weeks the sheriff will be back asking for more vehicles for the patrol division. Forget about draining the swamp in Washington DC and concentrate on draining our own little swamp here in Washington County. Vote em all out..
Sure hey Why NOT? I’d like to request a new Vehicle myself since I am without one, not asking for all three ive lost since ive been in brenham! Hey doesnt Apple Ford already supply the officers of this city with vehicles already? Oh I see now its a Chevy they want ok? Our tax dollars are going more and more on things they really should not be. I think if we were to focus on the small business owners, the elderly, city transportation for EVERYBODY, and then the homeless AND the hungry would be a much better use of my portion of tax money anyway.
You are getting 2 different law enforcement agencies confused.
The city police department uses a mix of Dodge and Ford, the county sheriff’s office uses Chevrolet Tables.
Since our taxes are already going up, why buy these gas guzzlers? I’ve read where many forward thinking local governments & law enforcement agencies are now using fuel efficient vehicles, like the new Ford Police Responder. It’s said to get 38 miles per gallon and has much lower emissions. I wonder if our leaders even consider these sorts of things?
Those work well for agencies like a police department with paved streets and highways, however the suspension wouldn’t last long with the deputies going down some of the unpaved county roads, going over cattle guards, and unpaved driveways.
I drive a Ford Police Taurus on duty at I am lucky to get 20 miles to the gallon not the advertised 38. I have worked for the Washington County Sheriff’s Office on patrol and I can tell you from experience that the Ford Police Taurus I currently drive at my state law enforcement jobs is not a good match for dirt roads, rough county maintained roads, driving in pastures, crossing medians and other daily situation that requires a vehicle with higher ground clearance. Before making comments on what vehicles would work well for the Sheriff’s Office maybe it would be wish to consider the fact that the Sheriff’s Office does not work in an urban setting where cars with low ground clearances work well.
In my family, we have 4×4 vehicles. We need them for our deer lease, the beach, towing, etc. Our deer lease is bumpy with lots of holes and mounds. A car with regular suspension, could not stand up to that kind of terrain. Our sherriff’s deputies travel roads that compare to our deer lease. If they are chasing a suspect who decides to go off road and the deputy has a “fuel efficient” car, he/she cannot follow. Word travels fast. On top of that, the cars would need maintenance more often and would need to be replaced more often due to the rough roads. I’m not saying the other issues raised aren’t important. They are! However, I feel that the deputies need dependable, hardy vehicles that can stand up to the areas they travel. A big thank you to all of our first responders. God bless y’all.
I’m sorry but you folks have the wrong idea about what constitutes a ‘hardy’ vehicle.
I think it is great our first responders are getting new vehicles but I am becoming increasingly concerned with the extremely bright lights these vehicles are using at night. I have encountered these law enforcement vehicles with lights so bright they are literally blinding. That is fine for the stopped car, but traffic passing by the stopped patrol vehicle is being endangered when they cannot see. Please consider other cars on the road and reduce the intensity of these lights that spill over into the lanes of traffic. It puts the traveling public as well as the stopped officer and stopped car in danger.
Those bright lights are required for the safety of the Officers that are out on traffic. Again these lights cause even the most impaired driver to see the traffic stop and move over. Unfortunately, the lights can be blinding if you look directly at them. If the passing motorist was paying attention to the roadway in front of them and not looking at what was going on during a traffic stop on the side of the road there is no reason to look directly at the lights.
Except when they’re traveling directly at you, on the other side of a yellow stripe, which is, I think, the point Blinded was trying to make. When surprised around a curve, or over a hill, oncoming traffic has to choose to continue to watch their lane and be blinded, or avert their eyes out into the dark. Anyone with night vision so poor that they cannot see emergency lights as bright as those we were once accustomed to should not be driving anyway.
My own specific complaint about the new generation of emergency lights is that they are so bright that they wash out all detail over the area around them, including the officers standing in the road directing traffic, and other people moving about the scene of a crash.
Respectfully, the bright lights are a problem even when I am focused only on my direction of travel. I believe we should do everything we can to protect the officer and the people involved in a traffic stop, wreck, or whatever else may be occurring. However, these lights are so bright that they intrude upon the traffic lane I am traveling in and make it hard for me to see the road. I do not believe in “rubber necking” and try not to do it, I think it is a problem and should be avoided, but over the last few years the blinding intensity of these lights have become increasingly hard to handle. Please consider the drivers who must pass by these stopped patrol vehicles, when you blind those drivers you put everyone at risk.