A few Shawano County sheriff’s deputies will have a more powerful squad car next year.
The public safety committee agreed Oct. 7 to purchase five new vehicles in 2027. All will be Dodge Durangos, but three will have V6 engines and two will have V8 engines.
Lt. Jon Blaskowski, the department’s fleet manager, said the budget for replacing vehicles in 2027 is $215,000, with another $60,000 earmarked for equipment.
Using the state bid program, options include a V6 Ford Interceptor for $44,827; a V6 Dodge Durango for $41,101; and a V8 Dodge Durango for $44,569.
Blaskowski said replacing all five vehicles with V6 Durangos would be well within the budget. Even swapping out two of them for SUVs with a V8 engine would still keep the purchase under budget.
“One issue that we have had with the V6 in this last two batches that we’ve got has been cam shaft issues,” Blaskowski said. “About 50% have been having issues with their cam shaft. Luckily, it’s all been covered under warranty.”
He said the department tried to order vehicles with a V8 in the past but was denied due to budget reasons.
Blaskowski suggested getting one or two SUVs with a V8 engine to compare the performance with the V6. He also said he believed the county could get more for the V8 models when they get auctioned off in four years.
“If not this year then next year we’d like to try a few of those to see what difference they do make and if they are worth it,” Sheriff George Lenzner said.
Blaskowski also noted the V8 Durango is still cheaper than the V6 Interceptor.
“Jeff (Roloff) over at Shawano Auto Sales can’t give us a state bid,” Lenzner said. “We used to buy them without the state bid, and a few years ago, we were told by this committee (not to), because we save quite a bit of money going with the state bid.”
Blaskowski said the V8 purchase will be a four-year experiment, because the squads are rotated through on a regular basis.
“We’re looking at potentially getting $37,500 with regards to auction (for those that will be sold in 2027,” Blaskowski said. “We have actually been doing very good in auction.”
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