The N&R follows up last week’s Rhino report on Guilford County Sheriff BJ Barnes throwing up his hands and handing back the county’s fleet of civilian vehicles.
Once again N&R county beat reporter Joe Killian is forced to defend himself for following up the Rhino, but he does has some interesting details. Barnes says his deputies keep their vehicles in top shape, but:
Barnes said the average county employee doesn’t operate that way. They’ve ignored check-engine lights, leading to car breakdowns. They’ve left cars running overnight and let them run out of gas. They’ve left food inside hot cars for days, attracting ants.
His staff has even found dirty diapers in vehicles.
“It was a whole different attitude and atmosphere from what we have with our folks,” Barnes said. “It ended up being a lot more work.”
I can only hope that ‘average county employees’ treat their personal vehicles the same way, considering it’s their money they would be spending on maintenance.
