By Conrad Dudderar
Staff Writer
EL RENO – Looking to increase funds generated, the Canadian County Sheriff’s Office will sell used vehicles in an online sale.
Canadian County commissioners, at their weekly meeting April 3, voted 3-0 to approve an agreement with Purple Wave Auction to participate in its Internet auction.
The board authorized Canadian County Sheriff’s Maj. Bryan Dellinger to act on its behalf and electronically sign the participation agreement with Purple Wave to sell sheriff’s vehicles.
For more than two decades, the Manhattan, Kan. company has conducted “no-reserve” Internet auctions for buyers and sellers of used vehicles and equipment.
The Canadian County Sheriff’s Office has been using the El Reno Auto Auction to sell vehicles.
“The Sheriff (Chris West) wanted us to look at some other venues to see if we could recover more money for the county,” Canadian County Undersheriff Kevin Ward said. “Purple Wave is one that is very popular out there. We think we actually will recover more money.
“And they will come to our site. They do the photos of the vehicles that we’re going to sell. They do all the work, and they don’t charge us a fee for it. The purchaser pays all those costs. So, we’re going to see if they will generate more revenue back to the county.”
The standard auctioneer’s commission is 10%, District 1 Commissioner Tom Manske noted.
Canadian County Commission Chairman Dave Anderson wants sheriff’s officials to make sure that Purple Wave representatives know they must meet certain government advertising requirements for an Internet auction.
Canadian County will have to do some advertising to comply with the requirements, Assistant District Attorney Tommy Humphries told commissioners.
WEEKLY COUNTY JAIL REPORT
On April 3, the Canadian County Sheriff’s Office had 204 inmates in custody – with 174 prisoners at the El Reno detention center and 30 others housed in contracted counties.
The total includes 41 Canadian County inmates awaiting transfer to state prison.
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation has “max-ed out on their medium security-classification beds,” Ward explained.
“That’s what’s been some of our backup here.”
Some 15 inmates are due to be delivered to the state DOC over the next two weeks.
