DeKalb County Commissioners approved Sheriff Patrick Ray’s plan Thursday night to purchase a transport van after some residents raised concerns about the grant’s ties to immigration policy.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said the van would save the county money by allowing the transport of all types of criminals, not just those with immigration issues. Ray said the grant does not mean his department will be going out and rounding up people accused of being in the nation illegally. But, Ray read cases of multiple illegals that had been removed from the county after committing crimes.
“I took an oath when I got elected and sworn in 2006 that I would uphold the law for the State of Tennessee, and that is what I’m going to do,” Ray said. “And second of all, is the victims that are in there, I owe that to them also.”
Ray said with the jail’s current issues, they spend a lot of time traveling to get prisoners housed elsewhere. Bedford County, for example, is a frequent stop. Ray said without the van, they often have to take multiple vehicles.
Ray said that the department is seeking state funding to purchase a secure transport vehicle and cover costs for transferring inmates to federal custody.
“That van is completely decked out to transport inmates in, and it also has our emergency equipment on it,” Ray said. “All that is grant-funded. That doesn’t cost the taxpayers here anything.”
Ray confirmed the state grant totals $102,395, which will fully fund a $95,332 transport van equipped with safety features. He noted that in the previous year, the department transported 11 undocumented individuals who had been arrested for local crimes ranging from DUI to domestic assault.
“We’re not going to those factories and nurseries, we’re not going to the churches, we’re not going to the schools or any other places to look for illegal immigrants,” Ray said. “We are not doing that.”
Under the agreement, correctional officers are trained to serve federal detainer warrants within the jail, but they do not possess authority to conduct immigration raids in the community.
“I conceivably see this cutting some two and three trip, round trips down to one,” County Commissioner Jack Barton said. “It’s hard to exponentially figure out the savings or the wear and tear on our county-owned vehicles.”
The commission voted to approve the purchase of the vehicle, which will allow officers to transport male and female inmates simultaneously in segregated compartments. Previously, deputies were required to take multiple patrol cars for transports involving different genders or security levels, increasing fuel and maintenance costs.
“Plus, when the new jail gets here, they’re gonna have to buy one anyway,” Ray said. “You can’t transport fifteen and twenty inmates from the jail to the courthouse without something to transport them in.”
The grant is renewable annually, allowing the county to reapply for funding to cover future transportation costs.
Commissioners voted by acclamation to approve the purchase after discussion and questions about the grant and its requirements. During the discussion, one commissioner said constituents had reached out with concerns and asked why the county needed an agreement if inmates were already being picked up for transport.
“On that grant, it, it’s for a hundred and two thousand dollars… and the van itself is ninety-five thousand three hundred and thirty-two dollars… There is money in there for insurance on the van. There’s fuel and maintenance cost that is added in on the grant.”
Ray described the vehicle as a 2026 Ford F-350 transit van designed with separate compartments and security features for inmate transport. Ray said the layout would reduce the need for multiple patrol vehicles when transporting different groups of inmates.
“If we do this, we’ve actually got less ICE in our community… We’re gonna be taking them to them… The second thing… would be the significant cost savings on our trans- our personal transports as a county.”
Ray told commissioners the grant is through the state and said the county’s role would remain limited to jail-based processes, not the “task force model” of going into the community. Ray also said the grant includes a termination clause and funding for staffing and operating costs connected to transport work.
In other business, commissioners approved a reappraisal plan tied to a four-year reappraisal cycle. The motion passed with no opposition heard during the vote.
Commissioners also took up the appointment of Houston Austin as the county’s new Emergency Medical Services director, with a motion and second made on the floor. Two people applied for the job, and Austin currently serves as a part-time member of the department.
