New Cars Sit Unused as Deputies Drive ‘Junk’

Some sheriff’s deputies are patrolling San Diego County in cars with more than 100,000 miles on the odometer, ripped seats and badly worn carpets, even though 65 new cars are ready to roll.

But the cars aren’t rolling. They are parked in a lot at the County Operations Center almost two years after having been ordered.

Sheriff’s officials say that is about to change, but meanwhile, at least one lieutenant is worried about the safety of some of his officers who drive the old “pieces of junk.”

“It’s at a point where it is close to becoming an officer-safety issue,” Vista Sheriff Lt. Steve Annibali said. “We’ve had an officer refuse to drive a car. It’s a constant problem, the cars breaking down all of the time.

“As far as I’m concerned, this is just a problem we can’t ignore. A lot of people’s safety depends on these cars.”

Many cars have been driven more than 100,000 miles, have visible body damage, missing parts, and carpeting that is literally worn to the metal, Annibali said. On one car, the paint is completely faded. Others have damaged bumpers and missing headlight rims or grilles.

Annibali estimated that 80% of the cars at the Vista substation are “past the survey point”--meaning they already should have been replaced. According to a monthly mileage report, the odometers on the patrol cars at his station register from 78,000 to more than 100,000 miles. An unmarked detective’s car has 224,634 miles, he said.

“These should have been serviced a long time ago and replaced,” Annibali said. “It’s an embarrassing looking fleet.”

The condition of these Vista cars, officers say, is typical of many of the 270 marked patrol cars used in the far-reaching territory served by the sheriff--Del Mar, Solana Beach, Encinitas, Vista, Lemon Grove, Poway, Santee, San Marcos, Imperial Beach and the unincorporated areas of the county.

Meanwhile, the 65 new cars have been kept off the streets by a combination of cost-saving efforts and delays in equipping the cars for law enforcement use.

“That process was out of whack,” said Chief of Fleet Operations John Clements, who said that the county deviated from normal procedure by piggybacking onto a state purchasing department bid in January, 1990.

At a cost per car of $14,570, the state’s contract saved the county “a couple of hundred dollars” for each vehicle, Clements said. In addition, it relieved the county of going through the bidding process.

But the cars purchased through the state--used for all state agencies including parks, health and social services--are “plain Jane” cars, not outfitted for law enforcement use.

After the 65 Ford Crown Victorias arrived in July, 1990, a formal 30-day bidding period for the remaining outfitting of the cars was observed. Since then, lights, security screens and push bumpers have been installed. Handles from the back doors were removed to prevent suspects from escaping. The dashboards were redesigned to accommodate stands for new laptop computers. The tan cars had to be painted black and white. And, finally, official sheriff’s decals were applied.

Close to two years after the initial purchase of the cars, the modifications are complete. The cars will slowly be filtered throughout the system starting in December.

But Clements disagrees that the old cars now in use are unsafe.

“We don’t put out a car that’s dangerous,” he said. “We will repair all of the things that make the car safe and functional. If a car has between 75,000 and 100,000 miles and has relatively minor dents, we’re not going to use taxpayers’ money to repair it. The county is in a tight financial posture. Sometimes you can accommodate, sometimes you can’t.

“I can guarantee that our guys don’t put out cars with safety problems. We repair all of the things that make the car safe and functional.”

A car is considered for replacement when it is 2 years old, has accumulated 75,000 miles and is in need of major repairs.

“If it is a piece of trash, it’s been beat up but they think it can go another 10,000 miles (then it won’t be replaced),” Clements said.

Cars are serviced every five weeks, regardless of mileage. They undergo a standard lube, oil and filter change in addition to a brake and tire inspection and wheel alignment.

The demands placed on them are extreme. A patrol car, for example, may be used almost 24 hours each day by three officers from three shifts.