“We have been able to bring so much into the sheriff’s office that we didn’t have before,” Burchett said. “I’ve been so excited about those four wheelers and things that we can give to the guys like the boots and the coats and outfit our cruisers.”
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Other equipment received by the sheriff’s office are cameras, laptops, sirens for vehicles, gear for the jail and printers for each sheriff’s cruiser.
Clark County Sheriff’s Detective Scott Cultice said LESO takes property from the military that expires for them and transfers it to local police departments. While the equipment is too old for military use, some the equipment is brand new and perfect for the local office.
“The military has a life cycle and an expiration,” Cultice said. “If they have jackets or boots, they are good for about two years on their shelf, but they never were touched. They still get rid of them and replenish. It’s a benefit to us.”
“We can’t write the budget for some of these items because we know it will be the first to cut, because it’s stuff that we need and want but can’t justify through public money,” he said.”
“Most of this stuff is brand new,” Burchett said.
The office discovered the program when Burchett attended a conference over the summer and met with a representative from LESO.
During her conversation, she said she told the representative that she wanted to acquire two four-wheelers for her office.
“The reason I was so dead set on getting those four wheelers is because there was a gentleman who was lost out by Titus Road and they walked the fields for hours and couldn’t find him,” Burchett said. “As soon as the fire department brought their four-wheelers out there, in the matter of an hour they found him.”
Burchett knew that the sheriff’s office couldn’t afford to get the vehicles, but the rep said he could get four of them for her.
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“Scott was able to get on there and get us four four-wheelers and he also got us two side-by-sides.”
Side-by-sides are ATV vehicles four people can ride in at once and can also be used to searches and off-road activities.
She said making sure her office is well equipped while also using taxpayer money responsibly is one of her main priorities as sheriff.
“When I came into this office my one thing was trying to keep the taxpayers from having to pay so much towards the sheriff’s office itself. We are always, always out there looking to get something for free.”
$175,000: The cost of a robot obtained by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office from the federal government.
4: Four-wheelers obtained by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office from the federal government.
3: Cars obtained by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office from the federal government.
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