Well, she’s not much to look at but she’s a worker. Over the last 9 months many in the community may have seen our new transport vehicle around town. Now, when we say “new”, we mean “new to us”… and “free” because, rest assured, we’d have never intentionally picked out and paid for a seafoam green Chevy Malibu Hybrid as a law enforcement vehicle.
This vehicle came to us free of charge by way of the Defense Logistic Agency’s 1033 Program. In an effort to stretch our annual budget and save Ashe County tax payers money, last year our office rejoined the program. This program allows law enforcement agencies like ours an opportunity to obtain certain Federal surplus property for free.
Since joining the program last July our agency has saved tens of thousands of dollars by acquiring items for free that we otherwise would have had to purchase. The Chevy Malibu is a perfect example of this.
Prior to getting the Malibu for free, which came to us with only 13k miles on it, our deputies were doing inmate transports in an older unmarked Dodge Charger with over 170k miles on it. The old Charger, with its big 8-cylinder engine, was not only getting too old to be reliable, it was also a gas-guzzler on the long, and sometimes out-of-state, transports. Not only did we not have to buy a new car, but the Hybrid saves us money at the gas pumps too!
In addition to getting a free transport car, we were recently also able to get seven well-stocked Snap-on tool kits for free for use by our deputies in the field. These large tool kits were brand new, still in their original cardboard boxes, and were at Ft. Bragg listed as surplus when we discovered them listed in the 1033 Program system. These tool kits have been invaluable as several of our deputies have used these tools to assist motorists, perform minor repairs on their patrol cars and have even been used by deputies to help gain access to residences in emergencies without damaging the home.
We will continue to find creative ways to save money where and when we can. The DLA’s 1033 program has, so far, been a fantastic way to try to be fiscally responsible and make sure that our deputies have the equipment they need to serve Ashe County.
Just remember, if you see our Malibu out in the field… we didn’t pick the color!!
