WEDNESDAY, October 7, 2026|
Photo – Badge on county map – Bigfoot99 file photo
County officials approved the purchase of two new vehicles for the Sheriff’s Office using federal funding.
During Tuesday morning’s Board of Carbon County Commissioners meeting, Sheriff Alex Bakken requested approval to purchase two new patrol vehicles from Frontier Upfitting in Cheyenne and bypass the county’s standard procurement policy, which requires purchases over $20,000 to be put out for formal bid. Sheriff Bakken explained that he wanted to skip the bidding process because the vehicles are scarce and have long wait times.
In January, the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office received $600,000 through the Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Services, or COPS, Office. That money was earmarked for new patrol vehicles.
Speaking at Tuesday’s Board of Carbon County Commissioners meeting, Sheriff Bakken said police‑fleet vendors took it upon themselves to provide him with estimates for patrol vehicles after he announced the federal funding award. The sheriff said he simply chose the dealership that offered the best value.
The Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to waive the procurement policy and approve the purchase of two new patrol vehicles for the Sheriff’s Office: one priced at $86,541.64 and the other at $82,326.33 from Frontier Upfitting. Following the vote, Commissioner Gwynn Bartlett added that the sheriff technically did receive quotes from other vendors, meaning the procurement policy wasn’t entirely disregarded.
Sheriff Bakken said he will not know when the vehicles will be delivered until after he places the order.
