The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department has a new look just intime for the upcoming new year.

Four new patrol cars with new designs were delivered to thedepartment last week in what Lincoln County Sheriff Lynn Boytehopes will be a continuing progression.

“I’m excited about it. I think it was time to change the look ofthe sheriff’s department,” Boyte said.

The 2002 Crown Victorias feature a flashy stripe down each sidewith the word “Sheriff” in big letters.

Boyte said the new vehicles were desperately needed because manyof the department’s vehicles have become run down.

“We were driving cars with over 200,000 miles that they had togo to the shop almost every week,” Boyte commented. “It was costinga lot to keep them repaired.”

Sheriff’s department vehicles generally are used steadily duringeight-hour shifts, five days a week. Vehicles are also used totransport inmates to and from other correctional facilities.

Funds for the new patrol cars came from two sources. Earlierthis year, the Lincoln County Board of Supervisors approved thepurchase of two of the cars, but Boyte knew the department neededmore.

“At budget time, things were tight and they said they could onlyallow two vehicles, so we used drug-seized funds to purchase theother two,” he said. “We couldn’t have done it without thataccount.”

The drug-seized fund account accrues throughout the year frommoney and property netted during drug busts and arrests.

Boyte pointed out that those arrests bring the benefit ofgetting drugs off the street and using the funds to buy betterequipment for improving law enforcement efforts.

Eighty percent of the funds are given to the sheriff’sdepartment, with the district attorney’s office receiving theremaining 20 percent.

The money helps the sheriff’s department to buy neededequipment, such as patrol cars.

“Only 15 percent of our budget can be used for equipment,vehicles and other necessary items, so there are times we reallyare thankful to have the drug-seized funds,” Boyte said.

The funds have already purchased about 10 vehicles, six riflesand several state of the art pieces of equipment.

“Law enforcement is changing every day and you have to work tostay abreast,” Boyte remarked.

He plans to continue upgrading the department’s vehicles on ayearly basis.

“Next year we hope to take our four worst vehicles off the roadand replace them with new ones, and continue that every year,”Boyte said, pointing out that the department has about 20vehicles.

Since the new patrol cars hit the county roads Thursday,authorities have received a number of compliments from the publicand the deputies about how nice the vehicles look, Boyte said.

“The deputes appreciate having good, safe equipment and thegeneral public expects us to have it so we can be there when theycall,” he said.