TEXARKANA -- Thomas Allen Jones decided he didn't need to be driving his 40-foot recreational vehicle at the age of 82, so the Texarkana man donated it to the Hempstead County sheriff's office.
Since its donation in February, the RV has been converted into a mobile office and command center.
Jones said watching television news and seeing emergency crews fighting fires on the West Coast gave him the idea to donate his 1991 diesel-powered Grand Villa Motor Home.
"The firefighters had mobile command headquarters, and it gave me the idea," Jones said. In addition, people "probably didn't want an 82-year-old man driving the 40-foot RV."
The history of his kinfolk in the area influenced his decision to donate to Hempstead County.
"Some of the original settlers came from the families of Powell, Jones and Cox. My great-great-uncle had land where the railroad station was built," he said.
"This is a generous donation from Mr. Jones," said Sheriff James Singleton, who had the vehicle modified to fit the his office's needs.
The command center is equipped with a Detroit diesel engine and onboard generator and has liquid petroleum gas tanks for alternate power.
"The RV has desks, which allows deputies to work on reports, and Wi-Fi, which allows deputies to connect with the sheriff's office management software remotely anywhere in the county," the sheriff said.
The motor home is valued at $60,000, Singleton said. The department spent about $2,000 updating it.
"It has all forms deputies use in the course of business and other items, so deputies can use it just like an office," he said.
The mobile office and command center will have its own cellphone number, (870) 703-5543, so citizens can call it directly when it's in their area, Singleton said.
"For example, we will be able to take the unit to parts of the county such as Bingen, Blevins, Saratoga, Ozan and other areas of the county. It could be set up for a couple of days or the weekend and have it staffed by deputies and reserve deputies so citizens in those parts of the county can come by and talk to deputies," Singleton said.
He added that the motor home will enable deputies to work on problems for "48 or 72 hours or more" without needing to relocate others from other parts of the county. The motor home, he said, will also serve as a command center in the event of "man-made or natural disasters and special events."
"I cannot express my thanks enough to Mr. Jones. His generous gift is something we would have never been able to afford with our budget obligations," Singleton said.
In honor of the donation, a plaque was attached to the unit with the name HCSO-TOM-1.
State Desk on 09/13/2015