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The sheriff nearly disbanded the unit because the lease is up today 31 on the Harleys used by deputies for traffic patrol, and Sheriff Bob White didn't know how he was going to pay for them after that. A few of the motorcycles had been pulled off the road in preparation of stripping them of agency decals and cleaning before they were returned to the dealership.
On Jan. 22, county commissioners unanimously agreed to appropriate Penny for Pasco sales tax proceeds to purchase the bikes in exchange for reducing the number of patrol cars to be purchased to 95.
When the initial lease for the motorcycles was negotiated, each bike cost the agency about $150 per month, but that rate has risen to more than $400 a month.
"When you get to that range it makes more sense to purchase them outright and keep them for a number of years," Tobin said today.
Sheriff's officials shopped around for less expensive motorcycles and considered other makes such as Hondas, but they found a deal on the Harleys, Tobin said.
County commissioners approved a purchase price of about $14,250 apiece for the bikes that six deputies and one supervisor use to patrol Pasco's roads.
Once the purchase order is signed it could take up to 90 days to deliver the new motorcycles and get them ready for the road, Tobin said. Until then, the dealership has agreed to go month to month on the current leases, he said.
The sheriff's motorcycle unit issued about 5,800 citations and nearly 3,500 warnings in 2006, and that rate continues to grow, Tobin said.
"It's certainly good news that we're able to keep them," Tobin said. "They are one of our more productive units."
This afternoon, one motorcycle deputy kept busy for a while parked in a lot on Rowan Road, just north of State Road 54, pointing his radar at passing motorists
Reporter Lisa A. Davis can be reached at (727) 815-1083 or ldavis@tampatrib.com.
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