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Pasco Sheriff Pulling Patrols As Motorcycle Lease Expires

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By JULIA FERRANTE of The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 15, 2008

Updated: 01/15/2008 06:10 pm

NEW PORT RICHEY - NEW PORT RICHEY - Pasco County Sheriff Bob White is pulling motorcycle patrols off the roads as the county's lease for the vehicles is set to expire and there is no set plan to replace them.

The county commission next week is slated to consider renewing the lease on seven motorcycles used mostly for traffic patrols or buying new motorcycles, which may cost less, sheriff's office spokesman Doug Tobin said Tuesday.

Workers already have begun stripping the Harley-Davison motorcycles of decals and equipment and performing maintenance, however, so the vehicles may be returned in good shape to the Fort-Lauderdale based company that owns them, Tobin said. The lease expires Jan. 31.

"My question is: Why is this coming up now?" Commissioner Michael Cox said when contacted by The Tampa Tribune about the issue. "I don't recall seeing this in the sheriff's capital plan."

White called the issue to county commissioners' attention in a June 1 budget memorandum, and asked the board to consider allocating a portion of the $2.1 million in Penny for Pasco proceeds earmarked for patrol cars to purchase motorcycles. The board has yet to decide how to pay for sheriff's motorcycles.

Deputies assigned motorcycles also are issued patrol cars, Tobin said.

Cox said he would not oppose using Penny for Pasco proceeds to buy sheriff's motorcycles, provided the purchase would not conflict with promises officials made to voters about how the money would be spent.

Officials said the money would be spent on "marked patrol vehicles," said Michael Nurrenbrock, the county's director of management and budget. The board must decide whether that includes motorcycles.

It may be less expensive to purchase new Harleys or Honda motorcycles and sell them after several years of use, Tobin said. The sheriff's office is contacting other agencies to find out how they pay for motorcycles.

The county's purchasing department estimates new motorcycles would cost $14,250 each, Nurrenbrock said.

The monthly leasing price has gone up from about $200 several years ago to $350 this past year, and $450 if the county renews the lease, Tobin said.

"When the price gets over $400 per month, you have to ask is it cheaper to make an outright purchase or a lease," Tobin said.

There are several advantages to using motorcycle patrols, Tobin said.

"It's actually more cost-effective to put a motorcycle on the road than a vehicle," Tobin said. "The gasoline is cheaper. It's easier to get around road blocks with a motorcycle, and traffic enforcement is easier, because most of us are less likely to see a motorcycle" than a patrol car.

The sheriff's motorcycle unit, comprised of six deputies and a supervisor, issued about 5,800 citations and nearly 3,500 warnings in 2006, according to information provided by the sheriff's office. The cost of fueling the vehicles is about one-third that of fueling a patrol car.

Reporter Julia Ferrante can be reached at (813) 948-4220 or jferrante@tampatrib.com.

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