Photo provided The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office will refurbish this used “command center” vehicle to be used in the event of county-wide emergencies.
After nearly a dozen years of attempting to obtain sufficient funding, the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office is buying a mobile command center.
“If we have a disaster or something of that nature, (the command center) will basically be a way to continue operations,” Sheriff Chris Lane said. “There are communities around the state that have experienced major events such as tornadoes. Our hope is that if something bad like that happens, the department can keep functioning.”
Originally purchased by Columbus Township Fire and Rescue as the District 3 command unit, the 1998 Cummins-powered Freightliner will be made available to all local public safety agencies in need of it, Lane said. The command center, which has less than 30,000 miles on the odometer, has been stored by the fire department for nearly its entire life, according to the sheriff.
The purchase price is $43,550, Lane said. An additional $49,156 will have to be spent purchasing and installing accessories or augmentations to suit the needs of both law enforcement and emergency dispatchers.
This up-fitting will involve totally remodeling the interior, so the command center will have five work stations for law enforcement that can double as a mobile emergency dispatch center, Lane said.
Such a unit would likely have solved problems on July 1, 2023, when half of Bartholomew County’s 911 system was knocked out by a lightning strike. It took more than two months to make all necessary repairs.
An additional $7,350 will be spent on bringing the vehicle to its peak mechanical performance, the sheriff said. That includes replacing all the tires, as well as fixing minor leaks, he said.
In total, the investment will be $100,056.
Additional money may be required to ensure that new computers within the truck are functional. An application has been submitted for a Homeland Security Program grant to purchase seven new laptops for mobile dispatching. Bartholomew County should learn whether they will receive the grant in either August or September.
Bartholomew County commissioner Tony London said his research indicates a new mobile command center has a price tag of at least $500,000. The commissioners unanimously approved the purchase of the vehicle from Columbus Township Fire and Rescue Monday.
The sheriff stressed that all costs to purchase, upgrade and maintain the vehicle will be paid with either commissary funds collected at the jail or asset forfeiture money confiscated through drug seizures, the sheriff said.
“No tax dollars will be involved,” he said.
There is also a public relations advantage in having the truck. It will be on display during community engagements such as the annual Bartholomew County 4-H Fair, downtown celebrations and the Hope Heritage Days, Lane said. Rather than call the truck a mobile command center, Lane said his department will refer to it as a community command vehicle.
“In today’s world, especially in law enforcement, those community engagements are priceless,” Lane said. “We need to seize as many moments as possible to participate.”
