LORAIN COUNTY — Dozens of Lorain County sheriff's deputy cruisers are set to be repossessed early next week, according to the Lorain County Deputies Association.
Lorain County Sheriff Jack Hall addressed the issue during a Thursday afternoon press conference:
In a Facebook post from last night, the association said the Lorain County commissioners have defaulted on their car loans with Enterprise Fleet Management. It said the commissioners have failed to pay $57,000 in lease payments to Enterprise as part of the contract.
That means 41 of their police cruisers are set to be repossessed on Monday. The association said deputies have now started removing gear, equipment, and personal items from their police cars in preparation for turning them over to Enterprise.
The Lorain County Deputies Association said deputies strive to do the best job they can, go home safely and provide the best service possible to the residents of Lorain County. They said these decisions have put the Lorain County population at risk.
On Thursday afternoon, Sheriff Jack Hall held a news conference, where he showed the letter he received.
"This was an order that they were repossessing our vehicles if we did not pay them by Monday, Feb. 9,' Hall said.
The sheriff blamed the county commissioners for cutting the amount of money allocated for the cruisers.
"I think the public of Lorain needs to know the elected officials of this county are having trouble getting along right now," Hall said.
However, in an exclusive interview with News 5's Sarah Buduson, Commissioner Marty Gallagher said the sheriff's office is to blame for the mistake.
"We've done everything we're supposed to do," said Gallagher. "If they want to pay the bill, they can pay it. They run their own budget. We don't run their budget for them."
Commissioners respond
Lorain County commissioners pushed back on the Lorain County Deputies Association's claims on Thursday afternoon in a statement, calling it a "manufactured crisis" and stating that the vehicles would not be repossessed and that the sheriff's office is responsible for its own invoices.
Hall called the situation a crisis but "not a manufactured one."
The sheriff said the residents of Lorain deserve better.
"There's no reason that this should have taken place or this should have happened," Hall said.
According to the commissioners, the sheriff's office did not pay an invoice for $13,583.81, prompting an automated default notice that the department received.
The commissioners said the sheriff's office budget was approved the day after Christmas.
"The Lorain County Board of Commissioners remains committed to ensuring residents can have confidence in the continuity of essential public safety services and in the responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars. The sheriff currently has $346,000 in his equipment lease account," the commissioners said.
Read the full statement from the Lorain County commissioners:
"The Lorain County Board of Commissioners has been made aware of false information being shared by the Sheriff’s Deputies Association. This manufactured crisis stated that the Commissioners defaulted on the county’s vehicle fleet lease with Enterprise Fleet Management and that 41 police cruisers were set to be repossessed.
As soon as the Commissioners were made aware of this issue, our County Deputy Administrator, Karen Perkins, made a brief phone call to Enterprise Fleet Management to confirm the vehicles in question were not going to be repossessed, nor were they ever going to be.
The Lorain County Sheriff is an elected official and is responsible for the management and payments for their department. The Sheriff’s Office is responsible for processing their own invoices, including Enterprise Fleet Management. The Sheriff’s Office did not pay the full invoice of $13,583.81 by December 2025, which generated an automated notice of default to the Lorain County Sheriff’s Department.
The Board of Commissioners approved the Sheriff’s 2026 annual budget on December 19, 2025.
The Lorain County Board of Commissioners remains committed to ensuring residents can have confidence in the continuity of essential public safety services and in the responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars. The sheriff currently has $346,000 in his equipment lease account."
Community reaction
The letter from the Lorain County Deputies Association immediately got the attention of residents who heard about it through word of mouth or saw it online.
News 5 Anchor Damon Maloney spent time in Lorain County speaking with concerned residents.
Anne Jesse lives in Elyria Township. When there’s an emergency, it’s the sheriff’s office that responds.
“There’s no shortage of police calls, we know that?” Maloney asked Jesse.
She said, “Oh yeah, we see them fly by all the time.”
Jesse had questions.
“What’s the contingency plan. What are you going to do,” Jesse said.
We know the sheriff’s office provides services to many townships and cities where resources are thin.
Sheriff Jack Hall said during the news conference that backup plans were in motion if the loan wasn’t paid.
“… to make sure our shifts are appropriately covered, that our deputies can respond to calls coming into this county — for the safety of the county,” Hall said.
Aric Bowens lives in Elyria and runs a youth sports organization. He said he deals with funding all the time. He said there’s been dysfunction in local government recently, and it only hurts residents — the people who need help the most.
“There’s been a lot of rumors and things in the past that have kind of piled up,” Bowens said. “And I think people are not happy and I’m curious – who’s going to step up next? What’s the next move because what we have hasn’t been working.”
Danny Keith lives in Akron but was in Lorain County conducting business. He had also heard about the cruiser debacle.
“It’s definitely a unique situation that I haven’t seen before,” Keith said.
He shared his hope that all problems would be resolved.
“And I hope taxpayers are happy and the police are happy because that’s the way a society should work,” Keith said.
Other county issues
The possible repossession comes as Lorain County continues to make large budget cuts.
Lorain County's only emergency, short-term shelter for young people is closing its doors. The county's juvenile court said Turning Point in Elyria must temporarily close no later than March 1 due to budget cuts.
News 5 also reported that the Lorain County Auditor's Office will have to change its schedule due to budget reductions and will now be closed on Fridays.
Lorain County's commissioners are acknowledging the painful effect budget cuts are having on local agencies.
"We've put all the agencies in a difficult position," Commissioner Marty Gallagher said last week. "Unfortunately, we had to make those tough decisions. We all have to hunker down. We have to budget our money better. Unfortunately, some of the services have to be cut."
