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Lunenburg County Sheriff Arthur Townsend Jr. started the project earlier this month. For some time, county officials and residents had been asking for 24-hour patrol coverage from the sheriff’s office and as of March 1, that’s been organized. Now, in order to build and develop the program, Townsend is asking supervisors to increase his budget slightly. 

Speaking at the board of supervisors meeting on Thursday, March 13, Townsend outlined the improvements that have been made in the office and then also what he needs to keep that 24-hour patrol service fully functioning. The deputies in this program are out on patrol in 12-hour shifts, Townsend said. That includes one from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and another from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. 

He explained that schedule started on March 1, but it’s hard to operate and make sure all areas are covered with the staff as is. Townsend said additional staff will be needed to complete the transition to this schedule. That part isn’t the problem. There’s money in the budget to hire the deputies. The problem is what each deputy requires. 

“I don’t have the funds for the equipment, the cars and different things like that,” Townsend said. 

Specifically, Lunenburg County has an annual vehicle purchase allowance of $30,000 allocated for the sheriff’s office. With prices going up across the board in recent months, the cost per vehicle now doesn’t allow for him to buy even one new vehicle and stay within that allowance, Townsend said. 

He suggested a way to address the issue without actually having to spend more, just simply moving money around. Townsend suggested using carry-over funds, money left unspent in different areas of the sheriff’s office budget and re-allocating it to the vehicle allowance. That would mean a one-time increase in the vehicle allowance, but no actual extra dollars. The county would just be moving money from one area to another. No decision was required that night, as this is a request to be included in the budget discussions. 

Questions asked about 24-hour patrol plan

Supervisors also just had a few questions for Townsend about the sheriff’s office programs. For the 24-hour coverage, what is the expectation of those who work the 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. shift, they said. Is it a patrol setup? Are they expected to drive around the county? 

“They patrol the communities, in between calls, they patrol the communities,” Townsend said. “They will also, if the rescue (dispatch) gets some type of call, they’ll go and check that out.” 

As an example, he referenced a pretty well known incident where sheriff’s deputies were the first on scene at a fire call and were able to rescue the person from inside the house. 

“So they’re not just sitting at the office,” Townsend said. “(They) go to different sections of the county, depending on what’s going on, to patrol it.” 

But, he pointed out, in order to patrol the entire county on a constant 24-hour basis, that adds to the vehicle concern. It causes vehicles to wear out faster, which means there will be requests for higher allowances to buy replacement patrol cars. 

Townsend also thanked the board for their help in funding positions over the past year, so that dispatch and medical/911 dispatch are fully staffed. Also, there are school resource officers in every building. 

What’s next?

No action was taken, as this was a budget presentation. Funding requests for travel and training were up, as new hires often mean deputies coming out of the academy. The training request was up from $2,807 this year to $10,000, due to the need for extra manpower to handle the 24-hour shifts. Townsend also requested a bump for uniforms and equipment, for the new deputies, from $2,724 to $10,000. All of that will be discussed as part of budget talks over the next few months.

Editor’s note: Emilio Salgado-Garcia wrote this story for the Kenbridge-Victoria Dispatch.