Supply chain issues leave local law enforcement agencies in dire need of new vehicles

It’s unlikely Spokane County law enforcement officers will get a whiff of that new car smell this year.

The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office and the Spokane Police Department’s orders for new police vehicles have faced long delays, have only been partially filled or have been completely canceled over the last few years.

The Spokane County Commission approved $1.75 million for the purchase of 20 vehicles last year for the 2024 budget, while the Spokane Valley City Council approved $870,000 for the purchase of 15 vehicles. The commissioners awarded the contract for the purchase of those vehicles to Wendle Motors last Tuesday.

Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said it was a routine annual order for replacing the agency’s aging fleet of deputy’s take home vehicles.

“But we’re not sure we’re going to get any vehicles,” Nowels said. “I think Ford could turn around next month and say, ‘We’re not giving any vehicles this year, we’re not building any,’ for whatever reason. They’ve done it in the past and they could do it again.”

Nowels’ prediction was correct.

The sheriff’s office order for 29 vehicles was canceled just a few days after Nowels made that statement, sheriff’s office spokesperson Mark Gregory said. The funding will be held until the next order window arises for model year 2025 vehicles, he said, meaning the sheriff’s office likely won’t receive any vehicles this year.

Ford Motor Co., the maker of the gas-powered Ford Police Interceptor Utility SUVs primarily used for patrol units by county deputies, has struggled to fill a backlog of orders across the country since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down their factories, as reported by CBS News.

Last year’s strike of more than 45,000 United Auto Workers union members that shut down some factories among Detroit’s Big Three car manufacturers for more than a month likely added to the delays, Gregory said.

“Our teams are in communication with customers who are waiting on Police Interceptor Utility orders,” Elizabeth Kraft with Ford Motors communications team said. “We understand how important this vehicle is to continue the vital mission of keeping citizens safe and we are supporting our customers to keep police fleets on the road.”

Kraft declined to comment on the specifics of the recent cancellations or delays Spokane law enforcement say they’ve experienced with their orders.

Nowels said the now canceled order was smaller than in years prior, but it is the second time since 2021 that one of their orders has had issues. He said the agency took in roughly 80 vehicles last year after their orders in 2021 and 2022 were delayed.

“I think this year it’s not so much a pandemic thing,” Nowels said. “But they had the auto workers strike, which I think impacted their supply chains. I think there’s a whole lot of things that go into that delay.”

Ford has a short ordering period each year for law enforcement agencies, which is coming up in February. The vehicles typically don’t arrive until the next year. Gregory said the sheriff’s office request will be prioritized over new orders, and is hopeful the agency could see their order come in by the end of 2024.

In a statement, County Commission Chair Mary Kuney said the board of commissioners will work closely with the sheriff’s office to figure out the best path forward.

“We continue to contend with a variety of supply chain challenges,” Kuney wrote. “The board will work with the Sheriff and his team to identify next steps. Ensuring our deputies have the equipment and training they need to do their jobs is a top priority.”

Delays also impact Spokane police

The Spokane Police Department hasn’t had a significant influx of vehicles since 2019, said Maj. Eric Olsen, who oversees the Spokane police fleet.

On any given year, the department puts 4 million miles on their vehicles resulting in the need to retire 40 cars a year, he said.

In 2022, the department was given the green light by City Council to order more than 70 vehicles to compensate for the supply chain issues that made new cars unavailable in 2020 and 2021.

To stay in line with the state’s Clean Energy Transformation Act, the council pushed for electric and hybrid vehicles.

The department did order more than 40 hybrid Ford Police Interceptor Utility SUVs or Ford Mach-E models but was told the hybrids would be unavailable, Olsen said. With approval of council, they switched the order to the traditional Interceptor, Olsen said.

Those vehicles are expected to arrive in the first quarter of this year, he said. In the past it would take one to two weeks to retrofit the vehicles with the department’s equipment but Ford now sends the vehicles pre-wired for light bars and with barriers in place, among other improvements, that have reduced that time to just a day or two, Olsen said.

“They come much more ready for the road,” he said.

Despite the influx in cars expected this year, the department is behind on replacing vehicles, Olsen said.

“We’re still playing catch -up,” he said.

To help that problem, the department ordered 20 F-150 pickup trucks, which are used by other area law enforcement agencies like the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office. They also purchased a handful of used vehicles, Olsen said.

Olsen plans to ask the City Council to approve the purchase of 40 to 50 additional vehicles this year, which likely wouldn’t arrive until 2025.

Even if that purchase comes through on schedule, Olsen said the department likely will need additional large orders in the coming years to expand its take-home vehicle program.

Currently, detectives and senior staff are issued take-home vehicles. Expanding the take -home vehicle program would help the department remain competitive in recruiting efforts, Olsen said.

A 2022 survey of Spokane Police officers showed take-home vehicles would increase morale.