Sheriff's Office could get new mobile command unit if House appropriations bill is signed
The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office could be in line to receive its second major piece of public safety equipment in recent years, thanks to a nearly $1 million item that was included in an appropriations bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on March 6.
If the measure, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024, is approved by the Senate and signed by President Biden, the Sheriff’s Office would receive $963,000 for a new mobile command unit — essentially a large vehicle designed to serve as an emergency operations center and outfitted with advanced technology and communications capabilities.
The Sheriff’s Office already has a mobile command unit, but that vehicle is 16 years old and was not designed to meet many modern technological needs, according to spokesman Mathew Chavez.
The money for the mobile command unit was secured by U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, D-New Mexico, who represents San Juan County and much of the rest of northern New Mexico. It was part of more than $11.8 million included in the bill that Leger Fernandez secured for 15 community projects scattered across the 3rd Congressional District.
The bill also would fund several government agencies through Sept. 30. The House passed the measure by a vote of 339-85.
Leger Fernández described the measure as a bipartisan compromise that represents a continued investment in the state’s future, pointing out the funds she secured for her district will go to cover everything from water projects and health care services for Native Americans to helping domestic violence and sexual assault victims.
The money earmarked for the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office would allow the agency to replace the 16-year-old mobile command unit referenced by Chavez. He said that unit was constructed during an era when the technology and capabilities found in today’s units did not exist.
“Our unit is essentially a camping motorhome with the sofa excluded during construction, replaced with a counter and three hard mounted chairs,” he said in an email statement. “The bed was also excluded and replaced with a small camping sized table and a very small amount of bench seating.”
The unit has other shortcomings, as well, he noted.
“The walls were not constructed with the intention of mounting large, heavy screens and the wiring capacity and access is deficient,” he stated. “While we’ve tried to add technology over the years, the lack of intentional wiring and wall mounting surfaces creates limits and deficiencies in how much can be added, or even located.”
The purpose-built mobile command units of today address most of those issues, he said.
“They are constructed with operations in mind, incorporating sufficient seating and workstation areas for officers and investigators to work, while incorporating a separate table and seating area for command briefings and planning,” he stated, explaining that they include wiring, communications cabling and mounting-ready hardware.
If the measure approved by the House becomes law and the Sheriff’s Office receives the money, the planned purchase of a new mobile command unit would be the second major public safety acquisition the agency has made recently. In November 2023, the Sheriff’s Office took possession of a new Bell 505 helicopter paid for by $3.25 million in capital outlay funding from the Legislature.
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Chavez said the helicopter had been identified as the Sheriff’s Office’s most-pressing need, and agency officials had not submitted a request for a new mobile command unit until that need had been filled. Now, both the agency’s biggest public safety equipment needs apparently have been filled in a short amount of time.
“We live in a great community outstanding County Leaders,” Undersheriff Cordell Tanner said in the statement released by Chavez. “They prioritize public safety and are always mindful and searching for ways to provide the resources we need to effectively serve our citizens.”
Chavez said if the House appropriations bill becomes law, the county will seek competitive bids from vendors to supply the mobile command unit. He said the ideal unit would be approximately 40 feet long with four slide-outs.
It would require two separate areas — one with work stations for deputies and investigators, and another with a table and seating where command briefings and planning sessions could take place, he said.
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The ideal unit also would include large monitors, a magnetic dry-erase board, and traditional bathroom and kitchen facilities. He said it would need to be built to accommodate data and network wiring and connections.
Chavez said it is expected that a new mobile command unit would take several months to be delivered once an order is placed.
Mike Easterling can be reached at 505-564-4610 or measterling@daily-times.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription: http://bit.ly/2I6TU0e.
This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: Sheriff's Office now using aging unit that doesn't meet modern needs
