Local sheriff says old patrol cars may put deputies at risk

DECATUR COUNTY, Tenn. — A local sheriff is asking for more money in the budget for new patrol cars after he says there are concerns the old ones are putting deputies at risk.

“It’s a constant struggle to keep cars on the road,” Decatur County Sheriff Keith Byrd said.

It’s a problem Byrd says many small, rural counties face.

“One of the struggles we have with a limited budget is salaries and the vehicles,” he said.

Byrd says his department only has around 20 patrol cars.

Between old age and wrecks, he says many of them are in need of repairs and even more need to be replaced.

“Most of the cars we get in accidents in is because of animals, mostly deer,” Byrd said.

Not only are these cars unreliable, but Sheriff Byrd says driving them can put deputies at risk.

“One of our deputies was out on the road when the transmission went out,” he said.

Byrd says the old fleet of cars clock in with hundreds of thousands of miles.

“You can see the wear and tear on the interior,” he said.

But in order to pay for new ones, Byrd says the County Commission must vote on a new budget.

But until a budget increase is passed, Byrd says his department must make do with what they have.

“Everything we do is with officer safety,” he said. “I am thankful for what we do have, and the people we do have.”

Sheriff Byrd says he is also pushing for higher salaries for his employees.

He says many deputies leave for surrounding counties to work for other agencies that pay more money.