ROCKLAND – In their regular meeting on Tuesday, September 12, the Knox County Commissioners approved expending State Forfeiture funds to purchase laptops for the Knox County Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff's Office had originally asked to replace their aging laptops as part of the 2017 budget. The estimated $23,500 was to replace 14 of 23 laptops.

According to County Administrator Andrew Hart, during the 2017 budget process last fall, the Budget Committee at its final approval of the 2017 Knox County budget reduced the Patrol budget by $16,250, which is half of the original amount requested by the Sheriff's Office for purchasing new laptops.

Hart explained that the Sheriff's Office used the $16,250 that was left in the budget and is now requesting to use $14,421 from State Forfeiture funds to purchase 14 of the 21 laptops that still needed to be purchased.

The purchase of the remaining seven laptops would then be included in the county’s 2018 budget. Starting in 2020, and for each year thereafter, laptops will be on the three-year replacement cycle with the cost for seven laptops (one third of the total number) being in the budget for replacement each year.

"These are the laptops the guys use primarily on the road," said Chief Deputy Tim Carroll. "There are platforms in the cruisers they sit on and are locked in,"

The three commissioners vote in favor of the request.