BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — Patrol cars are the backbones of Idaho State Police.
Idaho State Police is one agency in Idaho that needs to plan efficiently when it comes to budgeting.
In Governor Brad Little's recommended budget, one of his priorities is funding public safety. He is recommending adding dozens of vehicles in our Idaho State Police fleet. These vehicles will be used for many different jobs, but some of those will be used as patrol cars.
CBS 2 went behind the scenes at Idaho State Police to see how patrol vehicles are built and funded.
"We're always trying to find measures to cut costs and to save money, still providing a safe, efficient product for troopers to utilize," said Sgt. Bingham, Idaho State Police's fleet manager.
Sgt. Bingham manages 173 vehicles. Part of his job is budgeting for all these things that make patrol cars safe and secure.
There are a few ways ISP does this. In 2018, ISP hired three people on-site to upgrade Dodge Chargers into the patrol car we all know. These patrol cars are equipped with radios, cameras and prisoner transport systems.
"There's a lot of technology and work that go into these new patrol cars, they're not the patrol cars of the 80s and 90s," Bingham said.
Each car takes about 50 hours of work to become fully built.
Sgt. Bingham says the agency has saved $100,000 putting together the cars on-site rather than using outside shops.
And since cars are replaced every year, cars that reach over 110,000 miles or are over 10-years-old can be taken apart. Then some parts are used again in new patrol cars. Then the car itself can be sold. That money then goes back to Idaho State Police.
“I do my best to utilize the money that we have in the most efficient manner that we can," said Sgt. Bingham. "We want to put out a safe product for our trooper. We want to be able to get to crashes. We want to get to critical incidents as quickly and safely as we can. But at the same time as an agency, we don't want to overspend, we don't want to utilize more money than what's necessary.”
When a car is totaled or damaged in a crash, Sgt. Bingham says that since they rotate through cars annually, being down a car doesn't affect operations because there is one on-site being worked on.
Who pays for the damaged car depends on insurance and who is at fault in the crash.
With Governor Little’s most conservative recommended budget yet, Sgt. Bingham acknowledges that combined with growth, strategy in budgeting is needed.
“We're a growing state, we have a bigger need for all governmental agencies and to cut back and to define ways to save money and work more efficiently is a struggle," Sgt. Bingham said. "I think for all agencies and the Idaho State Police is one that feels that as well.”
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