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March 9, 2009
By Debbie Ingram
Dothan Eagle
As crime scene vehicles go, this one will have it all.
A $200,000 Homeland Security grant is paying for a new crime scene vehicle, to be kept in Houston County and shared by public safety officers in 10 counties.
The county commission was expected to approve the purchase Monday, but to properly comply with the State Examiner’s Office recommendation, the county will take bids for the vehicle, even though Sirchie Company in Medford, N.J. is the sole source Sheriff Andy Hughes has been able to find.
County Executive Officer Bill Dempsey said the State Examiner recommends going through the bid process even if no other bids are received.
“They also recommend we contact Montgomery and Huntsville because they have similar pieces of equipment, to see who bid on theirs, to legitimize the single-source award,” he said.
Officials said that process could take one week. The clock is ticking on the availability of an 18-foot General Motors chassis, however, and 2010 models will not be available until around August, Hughes said.
A delay in purchasing could push the price up slightly, but Hughes said some equipment could be paid for from the sheriff’s monies if needed. He said he did receive the bid lists from counties which have purchased similar vehicles.
The vehicle will enable law enforcement to have an enclosed, secure place to process crime scene evidence on site.
The purchase has been tabled for two weeks.
Region II counties sharing the vehicle include: Houston, Henry, Barbour, Pike, Coffee, Dale, Geneva, Crenshaw, Covington and Bullock.
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