Thanks to the diligence of several county officials, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office will now be sporting a mobile command unit that will aid law enforcement in several different types of situations throughout the county.

According to Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver, the sheriff’s office first used the mobile command unit during the rescue and recovery period following the April 27 tornado that tore through the area.

“The unit we had was old and it crashed right after the tornado came through because it just wasn’t equipped to handle that much use,” Oliver said. “The federal government loaned us this unit to use and it proved to be invaluable in our efforts in the area during the days following the disaster.

“The unit actually came up as surplus property a while after that so we applied for it,” he said. “We were informed in December that we had gotten it.”

Oliver said the unit is a 1993 model and is valued at $90,000.

“This was such a great deal for us because there is no way we could have afforded to pay $90,000 for a mobile command unit, let alone the over $300,000 it would have cost us to buy a brand new one,” he said. “By applying for this unit when it came up as surplus property, we were able to get it at absolutely no cost to the taxpayers in this county and it will be a great asset for us to have.”

Oliver said the unit is equipped with a generator, computer and landline phone hook-ups, a radio mast to transmit signals, a small kitchen area, a restroom, an interview room and many other small perks that make the unit effective in many situations.

“This really is just like having a mobile office,” Oliver said. “We will be able to have everything with us we need, which will allow us to be even more efficient in times of disaster or crisis.”