File photo The exterior of the Bartholomew County Jail in Columbus, Ind.
The shortage of patrol vehicles that has plagued Columbus and Bartholomew County law enforcement for most of this decade is dissipating.
But it has not gone away completely.
In 2023, several police departments and sheriff’s offices throughout Indiana were reporting they had not received patrol vehicles they had ordered two years earlier.
But after the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s office ordered five new Chevy Silverados this month, Sgt. Andrew Whipker said dealers have told him to expect delivery in six to eight weeks.
Country Chevrolet of North Vernon is offering to sell the Silverados to the department for $50,243 apiece, making their total bid for five vehicles $251,216. Their bid has been taken under advisement by the Bartholomew County Commissioners.
Another dealership offered to sell the sheriff’s office the same model for $225 less per vehicle. However, their proposal had to be tossed out because the required bid bond was not included with the proposal.
A bid bond is a legal agreement that ensures contractors fulfill their obligations. In Indiana government, bid bonds are required for purchases totalling more than $100,000.
The county would have accepted proposals on Chevrolet Tahoes, as well as Silverados, according to the original advertisement seeking bids.
“But for the Tahoes, there is a question of whether we will actually get them or not, due to the Indiana State Police (ISP) contract in this area,” Whipker said.
In October, ISP placed an order for 150 Chevy Tahoe Police Pursuit Vehicles, which can handle a variety of police tasks that include regular patrol and high-speed pursuits.
But the ISP order created a shortage for other law enforcement departments who wanted the same type of trucks for their deputies, Whipker said.
Fully-functional police vehicles are needed when lives are on the line, according to the January, 2023 issue of Officer Magazine.
But ISP had to order the Tahoes after defective oil coolers were discovered in their fleet of Dodge Durango. About 18% of the 219 new Duragos were sidelined at the same time, according to a state police spokesman.
Supply-chain disruptions, as well as a shortage in both automotive parts and microchips, were other causes for the post-pandemic police vehicle shortage, the magazine stated.
However, the biggest obstacle may have been the federal dollars for COVID relief allocated to towns, cities and counties. Columbus received about $8 million through the American Rescue Plan, while Bartholomew County government was allocated over $16.2 million.
But we were not isolated cases. Most communities and counties throughout the U.S. received comparable sums. Several local units of government in all 50 states used part of their ARP funds to order new patrol vehicles. As a result, demand quickly began to outpace supply.
