SPRINGDALE -- Northwest Arkansas law enforcement is ready to roll, but the pace at which it can replace patrol vehicles has slowed.
Law enforcement agencies are caught in the same supply chain woes as others wanting to purchase new and used cars.
Don Clark, fleet manager for Superior Chevrolet Buick GMC in Siloam Springs, said the dealership is waiting for delivery on more than 100 orders placed for police vehicles in October, December and January. Superior supplies vehicles locally, statewide and even to some out-of-state law enforcement agencies, he said.
"It's all because of the semiconductors," he said.
Almost everything contains silicon chips, according to news service reports. An insufficient supply is a problem not just for producers of computers and smartphones. Just about all world's durable goods require silicon semiconductor chips, including cars.
The shortage is caused by uncertainty brought on by the pandemic and manufacturers stockpiling chips, the reports continue.
Wyman Morgan, Springdale's director of administration and finance, said police response times might lengthen if all its vehicles aren't in service.
Many departments will keep using the vehicles they have, although a vehicle's reliability will diminish and the cost of repairing it will increase, he said. He noted all vehicles in Springdale's order for 2021 have arrived.
The Washington County's sheriff's office lacks just one Chevrolet Tahoe ordered for delivery this year, said Maj. Kenny Yates, the head of the department's enforcement division.
"We will drive them until they fall apart and can't be fixed," he said. "But that's not cost-effective when you tie up more money to repair a vehicle than it's worth. That can happen when you are looking at a $2,000 to $5,000 repair."
Rogers' Police Department ordered cars in January that haven't arrived, said Keith Foster, a spokesman for the department. "We are making do with our current fleet," he said last week.
Bentonville's Police Department has eight Tahoes on order.
"We are in continuous contact with our vendors in hopes those vehicles will come available soon," said Adam McInnis, department spokesman.
Morgan said the prices departments will pay for new patrol vehicles might not be as expensive as feared. The semiconductor shortages cut new car production, so consumers turned to used cars, which have become vastly more expensive, according to news reports.
Vehicle price increases often are based on inflation, cost of production and new government requirements for safety and convenience, Clark said. Supply and demand also dictate cost, he said.
Clark has seen shortages during his 50 years in auto sales -- 30 years to law enforcement -- but not to this extent.
"Labor strikes, natural disasters and material shortages are all things that can happen, but no one anticipated the extended effect of the pandemic," he said.
Gary Sipes, executive director of the Arkansas Association of Chiefs of Police, said large and small departments across the state are on the lookout for patrol cars.
"They're gonna have to take care of their cars," he said. "But police departments will still be able to go out and protect and serve as they always have."
BUDGETS
Springdale's City Council on Tuesday allowed Police Chief Mike Peters to earmark part of the city's 2022 budget.
"The dealership said it is likely, if we do not make our order in mid-July, we may not receive any police-package marked vehicles in 2022," reads a letter from Peters to the council.
The department will order 12 marked Ford Explorers for no more than $444,000. He has been told they should arrive in March or April.
The city pays when the cars are delivered, Morgan explained.
"They say the first to order will probably get vehicles, but not those with later orders," Morgan added.
Morgan explained most police departments order a few cars each year for their fleets, rather than be faced with paying for hundreds of new cars every few years.
Morgan also noted departments often have to replace vehicles wrecked in the line of duty. Three patrol vehicles in the order for next year are replacements, he said.
Superior also told Yates to order early, but he said it's hard to develop a plan to order now for vehicles needed next year.
Yates noted the sheriff's office -- as do many departments -- reuses the equipment from the patrol vehicles to save money. Chevrolet has announced a new body style for the Tahoe but has not unveiled it. He can't determine if police equipment such as light bars and cages will fit on the new style or will have to be replaced, Yates said.
An order for equipment may also take six months or longer, he said.
Nor have the 2022 prices been announced, Yates continued.
"But I have to plan my budget now," he said. "I have to make an educated guess."
Yates said the office ordered five vehicles for the detention division of the sheriff's office for $190,044 and six for the enforcement division for $199,041 for this year.
Peters said the Springdale department added 10% to the 2021 state bid price for Ford Explorers to estimate the cost for 2022. This would price each of the 12 vehicles at about $37,000, he said.
State law requires state agencies, governments and school districts to get competitive bids for purchases costing more than $20,000, Morgan explained. The state is a member of The Interlocal Purchasing System, which gathers bids or negotiates prices for many items the state needs. Local governments and nonprofit groups also buy items for the set price from the bid list.
Police departments often work with local dealers that can meet the state bid price, Morgan said.
The Springdale Police Department each year also leases 11 various unmarked cars from Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Peters said. Many rental car companies sold portions of their fleets during the pandemic to raise cash and are now buying up used cars to replenish their supply, a wire report reads.
The shortage of rental cars combined with greater demand has elevated vehicle rental prices by 90% in the past year, the report continues.
Enterprise officials told Peters last month several auto manufacturers have said vehicles ordered after August may not be delivered in 2022.