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The Patrick County Sheriff's Office has announced that it will hold an auction at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 3, at Rotary Field in Stuart.

Sheriff Dan Smith said Monday that all money made from the auction will go toward assisting sheriff's office operations and the operations of other county offices. He said the majority of items to be auctioned are affiliated with the sheriff's office, but other county offices also have items to be sold.

Smith said several patrol cars that have been taken out of service, including three Dodge Chargers, will be auctioned. A number of vehicles seized and forfeited by those convicted of narcotics distribution and other criminal offenses will also be sold. Other items to be auctioned include appliances, generators, computer desks and jewelry.

"Eighteen acres of land seized as a result of a methamphetamine distribution case is going to be auctioned with a reserve," Smith said.

Seized items to be sold have completed all steps of the forfeiture process through the Patrick County Circuit Court, Smith said. The process is detailed and closely monitored at all phases from initial law enforcement seizures to commonwealth's attorney's asset seizure filing and, finally, the circuit court seizure hearing, Smith said.

Under state law, the sheriff's office receives 70% of the proceeds from forfeited items, Commonwealth's Attorney Stephanie Vipperman's office receives 20%, and the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services receives 10%.

The sheriff's office budget is "extremely bare-bones," Smith said. "Little to no money exists in our budget to purchase important equipment needed to continue to keep our deputies safe. We rely on this money for that equipment."

One important use of the money is to combine it with already budgeted funds to purchase vehicles, the sheriff said. He said it has taken several years of using a combination of budgeted money, acquiring grants and using asset forfeiture funds to get the sheriff's office vehicle fleet to "an acceptable and safe operating level."

Smith said the most important piece of equipment that any emergency responder can have is his or her vehicle.

"Anyone who is expected to respond to emergencies should have a vehicle that is in sound operating condition," Smith said. "The public expects it from us."

The sheriff's office has been budgeted $75,000 per year for vehicles for the past four years, Smith said. In order to purchase the needed minimum of four vehicles per year, the department needs approximately $89,000, he said.

The sheriff said he will make his existing budget work and will not ask for an increase, but will "scrounge" to find money to offset the difference.

Smith said deputies log an average of 35,000 to 40,000 miles per year patrolling county roads. Many cars are transferred to other areas of the sheriff's office that are critical--such as inmate transport--but not typically used for emergency response.

"We assign the newest cars for emergency responders and those of us who are most likely to be called out for a crisis," Smith said.

Four police package vehicle options are offered by U.S. auto manufacturers, the sheriff said. Most agencies in Virginia purchase police cars off a larger state contract. Vehicles on the state contract are sold to government agencies for "often more than $12,000 below retail price," Smith said.

The two most inexpensive police vehicles offered are the Chevrolet Impala at $21,000 and the Dodge Charger at $22,000, Smith said. The Charger has the highest resale value of the two and both vehicles are comparable in fuel economy and crash test ratings, he said.

"We have conducted fuel economy tests on both vehicles and there is less than one mile to the gallon difference between them," Smith said. He noted that this is a 25% increase in fuel economy compared to the long-serving Ford Crown Victoria.

Other new offerings of patrol vehicles are the Ford Police Interceptor V6 ($25,000), the Ford Police Interceptor AWD Supercharger ($28,000), and the Chevrolet Caprice PPV ($28,000), the sheriff said.

"Those offerings are too expensive and will not be considered," Smith said, adding that he is committed to doing what he reasonably can to find ways to make his existing budget work after years of state budget cuts.

"Our vehicle fleet has come a long way and now we have to maintain it because citizens depend on us to be there for them--and we always will be," Smith said.

Anyone with questions about the auction can call Sheriff Dan Smith or Major Garry Brown at 694-3161.


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		Sheriff's auction funds to help with operations The Patrick County Sheriff's Office has announced that it will hold an auction at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 3, at Rotary Field in Stuart. Sheriff Dan Smith said Monday that all money made from the auction will go toward assisting sheriff's office operations and the operations of other county offices. He said the majority of items to be auctioned are affiliated with the sheriff's office, but other county offices also have items to be sold. Smith said several patrol cars that have been taken out of service, including three Dodge Chargers, will be auctioned. A number of vehicles seized and forfeited by those convicted of narcotics distribution and other criminal offenses will also be sold. Other items to be auctioned include appliances, generators, computer desks and jewelry. "Eighteen acres of land seized as a result of a methamphetamine distribution case is going to be auctioned with a reserve," Smith said. Seized items to be sold have completed all steps of the forfeiture process through the Patrick County Circuit Court, Smith said. The process is detailed and closely monitored at all phases from initial law enforcement seizures to commonwealth's attorney's asset seizure filing and, finally, the circuit court seizure hearing, Smith said. Under state law, the sheriff's office receives 70% of the proceeds from forfeited items, Commonwealth's Attorney Stephanie Vipperman's office receives 20%, and the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services receives 10%. The sheriff's office budget is "extremely bare-bones," Smith said. "Little to no money exists in our budget to purchase important equipment needed to continue to keep our deputies safe. We rely on this money for that equipment." One important use of the money is to combine it with already budgeted funds to purchase vehicles, the sheriff said. He said it has taken several years of using a combination of budgeted money, acquiring grants and using asset forfeiture funds to get the sheriff's office vehicle fleet to "an acceptable and safe operating level." Smith said the most important piece of equipment that any emergency responder can have is his or her vehicle. "Anyone who is expected to respond to emergencies should have a vehicle that is in sound operating condition," Smith said. "The public expects it from us." The sheriff's office has been budgeted $75,000 per year for vehicles for the past four years, Smith said. In order to purchase the needed minimum of four vehicles per year, the department needs approximately $89,000, he said. The sheriff said he will make his existing budget work and will not ask for an increase, but will "scrounge" to find money to offset the difference. Smith said deputies log an average of 35,000 to 40,000 miles per year patrolling county roads. Many cars are transferred to other areas of the sheriff's office that are critical--such as inmate transport--but not typically used for emergency response. "We assign the newest cars for emergency responders and those of us who are most likely to be called out for a crisis," Smith said. Four police package vehicle options are offered by U.S. auto manufacturers, the sheriff said. Most agencies in Virginia purchase police cars off a larger state contract. Vehicles on the state contract are sold to government agencies for "often more than $12,000 below retail price," Smith said. The two most inexpensive police vehicles offered are the Chevrolet Impala at $21,000 and the Dodge Charger at $22,000, Smith said. The Charger has the highest resale value of the two and both vehicles are comparable in fuel economy and crash test ratings, he said. "We have conducted fuel economy tests on both vehicles and there is less than one mile to the gallon difference between them," Smith said. He noted that this is a 25% increase in fuel economy compared to the long-serving Ford Crown Victoria. Other new offerings of patrol vehicles are the Ford Police Interceptor V6 ($25,000), the Ford Police Interceptor AWD Supercharger ($28,000), and the Chevrolet Caprice PPV ($28,000), the sheriff said. "Those offerings are too expensive and will not be considered," Smith said, adding that he is committed to doing what he reasonably can to find ways to make his existing budget work after years of state budget cuts. "Our vehicle fleet has come a long way and now we have to maintain it because citizens depend on us to be there for them--and we always will be," Smith said. Anyone with questions about the auction can call Sheriff Dan Smith or Major Garry Brown at 694-3161.