Supply chain issues are being felt at the Winneshiek County Sheriff's Office

The impact of supply shortages is being felt throughout the country. The Winneshiek County Sheriff's Office is no exception, says Sheriff Dan Marx. The Sheriff's Office is being affected by delays in deliveries for a lot of what it needs to operate, including radio systems, uniforms, and even badges. But the biggest impact has come from shortages in the car and truck industry. Sheriff Dan Marx says he'd like to order three new vehicles—but he can't. "We're way behind (on replacing vehicles)," he tells decorahnews.com. The Sheriff's Office was able to order one replacement squad car this year—but that vehicle is still at a dealership, awaiting the arrival of some of the special components required for a squad car. A pickup truck ordered over one year ago hasn't been delivered yet. Marx says delays in deliveries have forced his department to take special steps to extend the lives of vehicles in their existing fleet. Squad cars are getting service care as soon as they need it, in an effort to extend the lives of the vehicles. Another way the department has chosen to try to extend the lives of squad cars is to install brush guards on the fronts of the squad cars, an effort that is also important in minimizing the damage done by hitting a deer. Marx says delays in vehicle deliveries have meant the funds appropriated for new squad cars haven't been spent. The money set aside is being moved into next year's budget, which makes it seem like the department is spending a lot of money on vehicles, but actually, the figures show that the Winneshiek County Sheriff's Office has spent hardly any of the money it was allocated for new vehicles this year—even though it wanted to.