With gas prices soaring, it seems no one is going to out do Sheriff Mike Lewis when it comes to his cruiser, not even Washington or the Governor.That's right, Sheriff Lewis is now sporting around the County in a brand new Chevy Suburban. So why are we bringing this up. Well, it turns out quite a few people are upset that the Sheriff came first, ahead of Deputies who are in desperate need of new vehicles.
There are others upset because the budget is so tight, why the need for not only an expensive vehicle, why choose one that gets the worst gas mileage.
While I'd like to say there's a good reason for such a vehicle, no one can convince me that this would be accurate or practical. Maybe there's something in the works for a personal driver, like Governor O'Malley.
In the mean time, Deputies will have to wait, or get in line to apply for the new driver position.
UPDATE: The below image shows the gas mileage and expense on this vehicle. Considering it has a police package it more than likely has the bigger engine, (less gas mileage) and is more than likely 4 wheel drive. Click on the image to enlarge.
OK, you want to keep challenging me, go ahead but we're just going to keep proving you wrong. By the way, to the person who said they do not make a Suburban Police Package vehicle, GO HERE and stop LYING to people.
71 comments:
In today's economic times why in the world would you go outta your way to "step in it"? Just goes to show how out of touch elected officals are. No excuses for this type of purchase...
Speaking from experience of owning a Chevy Suburban, they give decent gas mileage...20+ mpg is what we get on ours. Now I don't know why they felt the need for the larger vehicle.
anonymous 8:24, Oh come on, please. 20 mpg?
Maybe when YOU are paying for the gas you wouldn't have a lead foot. Not that I'm buying the 20 mpg theory/statement.
Show me ANYONE who is getting free gas from the taxpayer that is nursing the gas pedal?
Come on now.
ATTENTION ALL:
I am rejecting a LOT of comments due to cursing. Mind you, your comments are worthy of publishing, yet loaded with curse words. I will not publish them. So clean them up and we'll publish them. Until then, your wasting you time AND mine. Thanks
He wanted a cadillac escalade but the governor told him no.
Come on Joe, you reject comments anyway... thats why you are just like all mainstream media people. I am not cursing and you probably will reject this.
Sheriff Lewis will be Governor some day, so you better play nice and suck up to him. This is probably all a little fack war between you two anyway, and when he runs you'll be right back on his band wagon...
Crown Vics don't get the best gas mileage in the world either. A Suburban offers a significant cargo area and is good for transporting multiple personnel in lieu of a passenger van.
did i have any curse words in my comment?? or aren't you as real as you want ppl to believe?
No jeffrey a, like an Idiot you put your comment on another Post. Go down one and look at the comments.
anonymous 9:19, I had a Lincoln Town Car that got 32 mpg, same as Crown Vic. It all depends on how you drive AND who's paying for the gas. Nice try though.
my bad. i apologize man!!
Mike is a big government shill. His WBI "agents" wear long black trench coats with dark sunglasses. Now he has a vehicle that resembles the type that the FEDS drive. He's such a funny little man. Oh, remember the last press conference? He was there with Gary
Baker. Mike either has insecurity issues or he is trying to get Baker exposure as he grooms him to be the next Sheriff. Either way they looked more like motorcycle club members than law enforcement officials with their leather jackets zipped halfway up. Gary looked so out of place.
As stated above there are no excuses for this purchase. Department heads must be the leaders in lowering budgets and cutting costs.
He is acting as a typical out of touch government employee who thinks money grows on trees.
This Ponzi Scheme has and is catching up to governments not only nationwide but worldwide.
Then when their pensions and retirement benefits are in jeopardy they will be yelling about that after it was them that caused the trouble.
anonymous 9:18, GOVERNOR, you have got to be kidding me.
Mike isn't well rounded enough to run the Sheriff's Department, let alone the state. My God, use your head for once. It just goes to show you just how simple minded some people on the Shore can actually be.
In the mean time, he can just ride around in a similar Governors vehicle and act the part. I wonder if they make those things with foot pedals that come forward and retract?
Come on Mike, that was funny and you know it.
They should give the sheriff one of those SMART cars w/all his police lights on it, that would be funny! There is no way a Suburban with the engine he probably has in it get 20+ mpg..no way.
Holy crap. This is a joke, right.
Is that a picture of his or do you have an actual picture just curious
They to start fixing this community. Like you post below about another shooting. The criminals know the Sheriff office is a joke and they will never get caught.
Check out the picture from this post. http://sbynews.blogspot.com/2012/03/breaking-news-robbery-in-progress.html
Mike is so self centered. I can't wait until reelection.
We just looked and that vehicle gets 10 to 12 miles per gallon. If you drive it 15,000 miles a year you can expect to spend at least $5,000.00 a year in gas. My guess is that he's driving close to 25,000 miles per year, maybe more. The cost of the vehicle is probably around $50,000.00 as well.
Why dont you research the fuel economy for the Crown Vic vs the Chevy Suburban. Plus while your at it check to see what the 2006 Crown Vics get, because I am pretty sure the Deputies are not driving 2011 Crown Vics. 2012 Chevy Suburban 5.3l gets 15 mpg city and 21 highway compared to 2008 (which I am sure not many drive) Crown Vic gets 15 mpg city and 23 mpg highway.
I know such a huge difference huh....
Come on Joe. You know the whole reason Mike got this vehicle is to stash Bakers vehicle inside the back. They call it a chevy mini me. Its all the rage in law enforcement.
anonymous 10:23, I think I'll go ahead and add another photo to this Post to show you the details. If his vehicle is 4x4 and has the bigger engine, I think you'll be blown away to see how little gas mileage this vehicle gets. Considering it's a police package I can assure you that it has the bigger engine and more than likely 4x4.
I heard the phone company got a call asking if they had black phone books. Something about they wanted it to match a new vehicle they just purchased
Knowing Mike he'll probably hold a press conference showing off all the toys inside and claim it was paid for with drug money. What does Pollitt drive?
Figures. This is how the everyday citizens are treated anymore, like they do not exsist. The Sheriff wants a new car, who cares what the tax payers think it's a Suburban, blacked out and tinted man he will be the coolest kid in the parking lot. Oh Obama isn't a real US citizen who cares, these other people who have worked hard their entire life to blindly throw money at the government do not matter at all. Oh were out of money again, lets tax something else like air or oxygen. Wake up people our government, city, state, or national could care less about what you think. They are the ones who know what's best for the country right? I mean how else would we be in an endless amount of debt? It's pure genius plain and simple. I mean how could us common everyday people have the knowledge that would benefit this country?
I'll bet the sheriff wishes he never denied you as press. For me its a good thing because at least you keep them in check. This was very bad timing. One guy riding around in such a big vehicle wasting all that gas really ticks me off.
Come on Joe, give Mike some credit here. With all the trips he makes teaching classes there's a good chance at least once a month he'll be getting those highway miles per gallon. Or should he be paying for that gas out of his own pocket for those trips. Sounds like another landfill investigation.
I'd like to know the starting price of a Suburban. It's alot less (if not half the cost) of a Crown Vic. That difference alone saves the county all around.
In this day and age of economic uncertainty Lewis has become the local Poster Boy for irresponsibility on the part of a government official.
anonymous 11:02, a crown vic wityh a police package is less than $20,000.00.
11:02
You think the Crown Vic is half the price of a Suburban?
stopped making Crown Vics in 2011
If you think a Crown Vic is half the price of a Suburban you have not been outside in like 30 years.
There are six of us in our family. As entertainment we looked at a suburban. The sticker price was way out of our league and there's no way we could afford the gas. Mr. Lewis, it truly bothers me that you are driving in this vehicle alone on a daily basis burning our tax dollars while the six of us squeeze into a mini van. No sir, you will not get my vote in the next election.
There you go-he should have gotten a mini van if he needs to transport people. If he needs a 4 wheel drive he can use one of the ATV's I'm sure the department insisted they needed.
When will some men learn you cannot satisfy a woman with a really BIG truck and a really small pistol!
Poor Mike. He's just making up for his inadequacies any way he can.
Who the hell drives a vehicle that only gets 10 mpg any more. My motor home gets better gas mileage then that stupid thing.
Excuse me a Suburban is half the price of a Crown Vic*.
Sheriff Lewis doesn't have to answer to any of us anymore. That is the problem. Obama has done a terrible job but guess what, he will be a President for another 4 years US citizen or not. "We the people" do not matter anymore we are just a stepping stone for the government to get more money. He wants a Suburban that gets 0 MPG that is what he will get and there will be no one to tell him any different. I am seriously considering moving out of the USA now, maybe when I am a bit older and more established I will be able too. It is absol;utely ridiculous how much our government piles on the backs of hard working individuals like yourself and I. In the end we have no say however so it doesn't really matter.
Okay so a Crown Vic not exactly half the price (50%) of a Suburban. It's 45% percent less. Sorry for the big mistake.
BTW-New unused 2011 Crown Vics are available.
I am sure this will help him apprehend criminals at a more steadty rate right? Because that's what the Sheriff should be worried about. Or maybe this just matches his outfit. Who knows? Not like he will return it anyway he answers to basically no one.
2012 Chevy Suburban 5.3l gets 15 mpg city and 21 highway compared to 2008 (which I am sure not many drive) Crown Vic gets 15 mpg city and 23 mpg highway.
I know such a huge difference huh....
March 6, 2012 10:23 AM
Police packages have the 6 liter engine. In 2 or 4WD.
The only time a tax payer owned vehicle should ever be moved in on offical business not to drive the officers or officals to and from work .... they make decent money they can use their own cars and gas just like us other working people.... There is also no need whatsoever for Lewis to have a truck like that they have plenty of marked crown vic's for him to drive while he is on duty..... if he isnt on duty and driving a taxpayer owned vehicle there is definately a huge problem
12:27 A sheriff and police chief have no defined schedule. They are technically working and on-duty 24/7, and must be available to respond to any incident under their command at a moments notice and at any given time.
@ 12:32
And in the bylaws I am sure it says he needs to respond to these events in a Chevy Suburban. With tinted windows, and of course I am sure it is upgraded. Not just the motor, but leather seats, heated, CD player upgrade.
The Sheriff's short sightedness is just the thing that is causing alot of govenments to rethink the whole take home policy because voters are getting ticked off. Alot are limiting the use of the yes, tax payer owned vehicle, to just to and from work and no more personal use.
Funny thing is there are boys out there driving the same thing, catch up with them at the right time and you could of had it for free. Ha,Ha.
Dont listen to him Raffter man, he thinks he is John Wayne.
How is the new vehicle being pimped? Is it earning money for someone? Did you mean taxpayers are being pimped?
The Impala is all that's needed for him. 2012 Impala outfitted for LE work costs $27,105 and gets 17 city and 27 hwy MPG.
Compare Suburban-Price ranges from $42,280-$43,465 and gets 14 city, 19 hwy MPG.
This info taken off of GM's website-the LE fleet.
Joe, I have had 2 Town Cars, a 1996 and a 2003 and the best I ever got was about 22-23 mpg on the road and I drive sensibly. Are you sure you had an engine in yours or did you pedal with your feet lol
10:23
If you go back and look the mpg that you stated is for gas. There is another set of figures for E85. You get less mpg when using the ethanol. So how is this saving us from using as much gas? lol
All of this doesn't make me as angry as government paid employees (police, county officials, BOE employees etc. etc. etc. driving their government issued vehicles as their personal vehicles. Burning fuel and wear and tear on the car that WE taxpayers are paying for.Just so they can leave their car home and save money, while they take their kids to school, go to the store, go out to eat whatever they feel like doing with it. I just wonder how much money this state could actually save, by putting a stop to this. It's mind boggling!
MIKE GOVERNOR? HA!HA!HA!
Joe,
Your information is wrong once again, He does NOT have a Suburban, close but not a Suburban, look again for yourself. WCSO is not buying crown vics, no one is; Ford does not make them anymore. The last patrol cars they bought (besides his new vehicle) are Dodge Chargers, several years ago.
1:43, I can totally understand why this makes you mad. However it is a benefit that is advertised to the employee to help bring up the value of the job and attract better employees. I know the council did a study a number of years ago and it showed a very small cost to the county for this benefit.
Suburban,Tahoe, what's the difference. They both get crappy gas mileage and are very expensive. They could have bought two chargers for the price of one of these vehicles.
Funny how some are saying it's not a Suburban. Are you telling me Sheriff's Deputies don't know the difference between the two. I'll add, the point of this article is the state of this economy, the idea Sheriff Lewis didn't NEED a new vehicle, (according to many) and that the condition of so many police cruisers are in such bad shape, the Sheriff is, (according to many) being selfish.
LOL at Sheriff Lewis! Governor!?!? No way! He is great where he is....really he is, but Governor. He doesnt have the education. This article shows that he disregards budgets for self gain, so Govenor?? No way. Oh wait a minute. That is a politician's motive isnt it? Disregard the people for self gain! Okay I get it now Governor Lewis. LOL. He couldnt lead a girl scout troop although he would fit right in.
I know this is a sidebar but it is about the county and money. Why do we have Mr. Elliott out on extended medical leave earning 85k at our expense. Just a thought since we are expressing our opinions about county expenditures.
If you are really trying to nit pick and say it is not a Suburban and it is a Tahoe you are defnitely missing the point. The point is he wasted plenty of OUR money when he made the purchase. I am willing to bet that Suburban or Tahoe, who really cares?, cost $50,000+ easily. On top of that getting 13 MPG and driving it all over the place will cost US even more money. Must be nice to be able to spend others money, a luxury most of us are not given.
Of course he needs a new vehicle. He racked up tons of mileage supplementing his income speaking at LE events.
Want to place a bet that his tint won't be street legal, just like the Chargers?
Don't question what you don't understand.
anonymous 6:58, is that all you liberals have to say? I understand it perfectly. You have a Sheriff who thinks only about himself first, before other officers. You have a Sheriff who takes all the credit for the busts and his people can't stand him for that.
Oh sure, they'll never say it to his face but trust me, I know. Mike has forgotten where he came from. However, he better enjoy his stay in the Sheriff's Department because hecan forget about a political career.
Just remember Mike, I'm not press, right? We'll see about that the next time you run for re election or for a political position. Send one of your people over to my office one day and I'll show them my traffic. Then go to the Daily Times or WBOC and see the difference first hand. You'll immediately learn you made a HUGE mistake.
To those of you critisizing me, remember, Mike Lewis made the first move, not me. Also remember, Salisbury News continues every single day to deliverthe breaking news before anyone else, yet the nay sayers were always saying Mike Lewis was tipping me off.
I'm sure Mike is fuming over our ability not to attend press conferences, yet we still deliver the news ahead of everyone else. So you see Mike, soon enough you'll learn Mike Lewis is not needed. The Sheriff has become a figure head, a guy to interview. However, I recognize who does all the hard work. Who takes all of the risks every day. I'm watching the many veterans leaving your department in disgust. Yet I'm also watching all of the gangs and execution style murders going on under your watch. Your luck has run out and reality is setting in.
You purposely tried setting me up with Granny and that backfired in your face. However, I'll never forget what you tried to do. You did NOTHING for Sarah Foxwell in Annapolis, other than showing up at the last minute to get your picture taken. The truth about that case will soon come to light. However, I'll wait until election time.
Yeah, we'll see who's press then, won't we.
Joe, No matter what has happened recently I will ALWAYS support you with regards to Sarah. You always had her best interest at heart.You truly cared and I believe that.
Bought and paid for from drug busts on the 13 Bypass. Why do you think he has the Deputies out there busting drug runners just passing through?
Mike Lewis? Politics?
Sorry folks, he just does not have the intellectual ability.
Oh,, wait, we are in Wicomico county
where you don't even have to graduate high school to be a council member.
@6:58 How about enlightening us?
Whats to understand? LEO's are selfish alpha psychopaths? Liars and cheats? criminal's?
No, us stupid citizen's know nothing. We need your twisted morality to live? No thank you.
Dag Joe is giving it to Mike Lewis. I bet he will be sorry next time his butt is up for re-election. WBOC and The Daily Times are laughing stocks anymore.
Wow. It's all starting to come out. Many of us already new that Lewis tried to poop on Joe and Sbynews. But most of us didn't know to what extent. It is now obvious that Lewis rode the coat tails of Sbynews until he got to the point that he believed he was a god and doesn't need anyone else. Then he steps on them. Ask his people. He used to have a long list of certified police officers waiting to come to work for him. But his reputation precedes him now and he can't get a certified police officer to come to work from another police department. The ones he has now are looking for other places to work. The ones that stay can't afford a pay cut so they are stuck. Lewis has turned the Sheriff's office into a bad dream. He permits the state police to call the state homicide unit rather than use his own WBI. He gets a new gas guzzling vehicle for himself while his deputies patrol the streets with vehicles that have 200,000 miles on them. Look at ME! Look at ME! Look at ME! I'm the boss. I'm important! That's the Mike Lewis mantra. I think the next election will see Sbynews as the best friend Ernie Leatherbury ever had. Likely Lewis will resign/retire to "spend quality time with his family" because he wouldn't want to lose an election to a black man!
I agree with the comment made about the Smart Car instead of the Chevy Tahoe. At least with the Smart Car he can see over the steering wheel and in the Tahoe he peeps between the steering wheel and the dash. Mike Lewis suffers from Little Man Syndrome! People are finding out exactly what kind of person he is. Unless you are a doctor or a lawyer he doesnt want to associate with you. He thinks you are beneath him. Maybe someone more deserving and caring will run against him in the next election and beat the pants off of him. I have heard from several people that he has turned his back on some of his own family members so why should he care about anyone else? He is no better than anyone else. His deputies do all of the work but yet he gets all of the recognition. Open your eyes people!
If you could provide just one logical reason as to why he should be allowed to purchase this SUV then I would habe no problem with it. But there are absolutely none, besides the obvious he needs to feel important. How can he look his fellow officers in the eye when they are in desperate need of new vehicles and he makes a purchase for the price he could have gotten 3 new impalas at the price he paid for this one Suburban. Easily over $50,000-$55,000 for the Suburban.
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