Sheriff draws ire over free vehicles
Commissioners OK’d $340K for new armored transport; didn’t know sheriff acquired two more in federal program
Last year, the Lake County Sheriff’s Department secured three armored vehicles – two for free and one at taxpayer cost – but the Lake County Board of Commissioners was only aware of one, a situation one commissioner called “reprehensible.”
The commissioners approved a request from the sheriff’s department to buy a $340,000 armored rescue vehicle from Alpine Armory in March 2019. Commissioner Mike Repay, D-Hammond, was the sole dissenting vote.
Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez said Thursday the department has not yet received the vehicle the commissioners approved, and that it is seven months overdue.
In August 2019, five months after the commissioners signed off on the vehicle, the sheriff’s department received two armored vehicles through the Law Enforcement Support Office program, which transfers excess Department of Defense equipment to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
Each vehicle was valued at $575,000, according to federal data. The department received one vehicle on Aug. 1, 2019, and the other on Aug. 5, 2019, according to the data.
Commissioners said they were unaware Martinez acquired two armored vehicles from the government program just five months after they approved Sheriff Oscar Matrinez’s request.
Repay described the acquisition of the two armored vehicles without the permis
sion of the board of commissioners as “reprehensible.”
“I don’t think he has the authority. Certainly, had he sought permission of the board of commissioners, we would have brought up the (the armored vehicles),” Repay said.
He said it appears Martinez intentionally withheld from commissioners’ oversight the acquisition.
Normally newly acquired vehicles obtained by county departments must be listed on the annual capital assets list kept by the auditor for insurance purposes, Repay said.
A review of the list for 2019, updated in February, does not appear to contain the two armored vehicles received. The list does show that four helicopters previously operated by the sheriff’s department were retired in 2019 and removed from the list. It is unclear at this time if the vehicles are required to be added to the list.
Repay said he doubts no other county has the quantity of military weaponry per capita than the Lake County Sheriff’s Department and that concerns him.
“Shame on Martinez for assuming responsibility for two pieces of military equipment without permission of the board of commissioners,” Repay said.
Martinez said receiving military surplus equipment is “between the law enforcement and the government.”
“We get military surplus from them all the time,” Martinez said. “We needed the armored vehicle no matter what.”
If the department hadn’t received the two military armored vehicles, Martinez said he still would’ve requested an armored vehicle through the county because it is “custom built” for police, S.W.A.T, medical and rescue incidents.
“You don’t get that from the military,” Martinez said. “This is definitely a piece of equipment we need to keep our officers safe and keep our civilians safe.”
The Sheriff’s Department has been receiving LESO equipment, from rifles to helicopters, since the mid-1990s, according to federal data. The department has sent back many of the rifles and the larger equipment is mostly used for parts, Martinez said.
Martinez said the department was placed on the LESO list for two armored vehicles before he became sheriff in 2017.
Once he became sheriff, Martinez said the department was called about available armored vehicles in the Las Vegas-Reno area, but once Martinez saw the condition of those vehicles he turned them down.
Martinez said a few months later the department was called about armor vehicles in the Texarkana-area, and after seeing those armored vehicles Martinez said he approved of them and the vehicles were shipped in August 2019.
“They do come in handy and it’s a no cost to the taxpayers,” Martinez said.
The military armored vehicles will replace the department’s two current armored vehicles, which are from the late 1970s, he said. By law, the military vehicles have to painted once they are received by another law enforcement agency, Martinez said, and the county has had one of the vehicles painted so far.
The military vehicles are armored trucks that can go into flood zones, deep snow, and protect people from the perimeter, Martinez said.
The armored vehicle the commissioner’s approved is “more custom,” Martinez said. The vehicle, Martinez said, fits 10 S.W.A.T personnel and is certified to be used as a medical rescue vehicle.
The custom-built vehicle has a water nozzle and ramming tool, which can be used in response to fires, active shooter response and drug raids, Martinez said.
Commissioner Jerry Tippy, R-2nd, said he also did not know the sheriff’s department had taken possession of the two military vehicles last year.
Tippy declined to comment on the matter until he has an opportunity to further investigate.
“I was not aware of that,” Tippy said.
Commissioner Kyle Allen, D-1, could not immediately be reached for comment.