From Barton County Sheriff's Office...
Several weeks ago, members of the Barton County Sheriff’s Office reached out to the Barton County Attorney, Mr. Levi Morris, about sharing the cost of purchasing a new vehicle for use at crime scenes. The Sheriff’s office has traditionally used a 1994 Ford ambulance for processing major crime scenes. The former ambulance is beginning to age and at times it is not possible to get it into some crime scene locations.
Mr. Morris agreed to pay for half of the expenses for a new crime scene vehicle as well as half the equipment costs. The money was from his diversion fund at the County Attorney’s Office. Diversion monies are collected from court proceedings and are not tax dollars.
The Sheriff’s Office was able to pay the other half from our normal budget saving us approximately $16,000. The new 2020 Dodge Durango is fully equipped for processing crime scenes and surveillance. It will be a huge asset for the Sheriff’s Office in future investigations. Equipment was installed this last week and the vehicle went into service this morning.