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San Joaquin County supervisors delay trip for heavy sheriff's vehicle
Board to consider whether to approve cost at its next meeting
Due to financial concerns, the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors postponed a decision to send three sheriff's department personnel to Ohio to have a $1 million command vehicle repaired so that it meets California's vehicle weight limit.
The board requested with no discussion that an item authorizing the trip be removed from Tuesday's agenda. It will be reconsidered at next Tuesday's meeting.
County Sheriff Steve Moore is seeking authorization for three deputies to drive the command vehicle 2,430 miles each way to Sunbury, Ohio, where it will be fitted with another axle. The vehicle weighs 2,060 pounds more than what California law allows.
The county received the $1 million vehicle in June 2008 through a Homeland Security grant. It can be used as a command center during floods and other emergencies that tend to come to the West Coast every seven to 10 years.
The computer and radio system allow the sheriff's department to communicate with more than 500 law enforcement agencies and serve as a mobile dispatch center, according to a letter from Moore to the Board of Supervisors.
The company that manufactured the command vehicle, Gerling & Associates, has offered to add an axle to the vehicle so that none of the axles will carry the 22,060 pounds they currently do. But it will cost county taxpayers an estimated $8,000 to transport the vehicle to Ohio.
In addition, taxpayers will pay the deputies — Lt. John Williams, Sgt. Todd Wright and deputy Dan Levin — their salaries, totaling about $11,000.
Supervisor Ken Vogel said after Tuesday's Board of Supervisors meeting that he wants to know why the command vehicle was delivered to San Joaquin Valley too heavy and why Gerling can't come to California to repair it.
Fred Gerling, owner and founder of Gerling & Associates, said in a phone interview Tuesday from Ohio that California's 20,000-pound limit applies only to commercial carriers, not emergency vehicles.
Sheriff's spokesman Les Garcia disagrees, citing Section 35550a of the California Vehicle Code, which states that the gross weight of any one axle of a vehicle shall not exceed 20,000 pounds except for those carrying livestock.
Redistributing the command vehicle's weight by more than 2,000 pounds will cost Gerling an estimated $9,000 in parts and $5,000 in labor.
"As owner, I basically care to err on the side of satisfying my customers," Gerling said, adding that he wants San Joaquin County to be a repeat customer.
So who was responsible for San Joaquin County accepting a vehicle that was over the state load limit — Gerling, Homeland Security or the county?
Gerling said that the sheriff's department accepted the vehicle in June 2008 and was delighted with the product, but now he's dealing with different sheriff's representatives who insist on reducing the axles' load to 20,000 pounds.
Gerling added that the current and former sheriff's deputies responsible for the command unit are good people.
Vogel added, "I don't know where the gap was in that communication."
Contact reporter Ross Farrow at rossf@lodinews.com.
Estimated cost to county taxpayers
Rental car: $418.99.
Rental car insurance: $391.30.
Gasoline for rental car: $607.50.
Gasoline for command vehicle: $1,458.
Five breakfasts, 11 lunches and 10 dinners for three people: $1,395 (hotel in Ohio provides breakfast for five days).
Hotel for 10 nights, five in Sudbury, Ohio, and five on the road: $3,636.90.
Source: San Joaquin County Sheriff's Department
Fred Gerling at a glance
Fred Gerling, owner of the Ohio-based company that manufactured San Joaquin County's command vehicle through a Homeland Security grant, founded the company as an outgrowth of his experience in broadcast television.
Gerling's desire to take his remote television experience to other industries has enabled Gerling & Associates to become a provider of mobile command, crime scene investigation, Homeland Security and promotional vehicles of all types.
An instrument-rated pilot with more than 5,000 hours of flight time, Gerling flies his private plane and farms more than 300 acres.
Source: Gerling & Associates
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Lodian wrote on Sep 24, 2009 10:24 PM:
galtguy wrote on Sep 24, 2009 12:13 PM:
fredg@gerlinggroup.com
Let him know what you think of his illegal vehicle.
Also just for your 411, they list this ILLEGAL vehicle as one of their accomplishments in their "recently built" command ctrs. Further if you look closely at one of the other pics you can clearly see that an identical vehicle was built for another jurisdiction. WITH THE EXCEPTION of the fact it's a three axle truck!!!! SO don't tell me the builder didn't know! "
lodidian wrote on Sep 24, 2009 10:53 AM:
Anyone who gave serious consideration this "goofball plan" has been working for the government too long.
The unit itself will generate lots of jobs for the Ohio company and will require lots of training, maintainence, periodic upgrades and eventual replacement.
Tax dollars will be spent on this fiasco forever. "
Galtguy wrote on Sep 24, 2009 6:14 AM:
It's not about getting tickets. It's about insurance and liabilty. If the vehicle in question were to be involved in an incident, do you realize how much the county of SJ would be on the hook for? It's a huge liabilty to even operate an ILLEGAL vehicle temporarily. Can you imagine a good Attorney with that one?
"So SJC, despite the fact you knew your vehicle was illegaly overweight you still operated it?" You get the picture. "
goodolelodi wrote on Sep 23, 2009 8:42 PM:
dyan wrote on Sep 23, 2009 7:40 PM:
Whoa Nellie! wrote on Sep 23, 2009 3:29 PM:
When I read this article this morning my thought was "why doesn't the mfgr fly out a person to supervise the work here in San Joaquin County. Surely one of the diesel truck shops could do the work of adding another (3rd) axle.
My guess is that the reason this giant boondoggle was ever built was due to 9-11 funding after the attacks. And in true government gluttony & overspending we ended up with that white dinosauer.
Probably done on Baxter Dunn's watch, but he was probably out at a delta eating & drinking establishment enjoying himself (wink wink). "
dogs4you wrote on Sep 23, 2009 2:47 PM:
Steve: Were from the government and were here to help you, you quoted a great American by the name of Ronald Reagan who said it first. "
T & C wrote on Sep 23, 2009 8:26 AM:
"The LAW is above the LAW"! "
steve wrote on Sep 23, 2009 7:34 AM:
t jefferson wrote on Sep 23, 2009 7:23 AM:
BuddynLodi wrote on Sep 23, 2009 6:53 AM:
DeputyChief wrote on Sep 23, 2009 6:39 AM:
DeputyChief wrote on Sep 23, 2009 6:31 AM:
All your comments carry validity (of which I agree) and atest to the lack of competence on various different levels. "
Galtguy wrote on Sep 23, 2009 5:18 AM:
What I want to know is this;
A- Why the need for such a vehicle? It's San Jouquin County for Christ' sake, not LA or NYC.
B- Can anyone please demonstrate the need to communicate to 500 agencies? When would they EVER be here and for what reason? An attack on the Grape Bowl?
C- Who signed off on the design plan? What qualifications did they have?
D- Why would the manufacturer ship a vehicle that wasn't legal? His cop out of he thought it was legal doesn't fly. There are no exemptions for anyone, emergency vehicles included.
A final prediction from GG. The manufacturer will fix it here in NorCal. He doesn't want the Feds in his books trying to figure out why he charged what he did. You heard it here first. "
Comments on this story are now closed.