04/11/2019- The Marinette County Sheriff’s Office may have found a more feasible opportunity to bring a high-dollar piece of equipment to the department. For a number of years, officials have been discussing the benefits of purchasing a BearCat, an armored tactical vehicle used to respond to active shooter scenarios, barricaded suspects, response and rescue, and high-risk warrants. However, with new models coming in at around $300000, the proposal was often seen as cost-prohibitive. Lieutenant Jason Ducane reports a new option is to purchase a refurbished model from the vehicle’s manufacturer Lenco, which offers all the same benefits at a cost that’s about 40% less.
Another purchase being considered by the department would equip the remaining 12 squad cars with dash cams and purchase about 25 body cameras for officers. The cost for the cameras themselves and the additional media storage space is estimated to be at least $120000. County Board Chairman Mark Anderson says if may not be possible to make all these purchases in a single year, but it’s something to start planning for.
County Administrator John Lefebvre says he’ll assess the Sheriff’s Department proposals and consider them for the 2020 CIP list, the planning for which will likely get underway next month.