LOWELL, MA – Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney said he will order a review of the Middlesex Sheriff’s Department after reporters at the Lowell Sun uncovered information on the size and cost of the department’s fleet, according to the Lowell Sun. A review by the Lowell Sun of Sheriff’s Department records from 2001 to early this year shows taxpayer money has been used to purchase 120 vehicles since 1997, creating a fleet of more than 170. Six other sheriff's departments are of similar size, but none has more than 120 vehicles. Last year, the Middlesex Sheriff's Department spent $658,000 on 33 new vehicles. Governor Romney, when asked about these findings last month, said he will order a review of the sheriff's office operations. According to the Lowell Sun, the Middlesex Sheriff's Department purchased $1.8 million in vehicles from 2001 to 2003, not including the high-priced communications center vehicle or Ballistic Engineered Armored Vehicle (BEAR) the department bought. In the same three-year period, the department spent $386,301 to fuel those vehicles. While the department predominately bought Crown Victorias as cruisers (38 of the 120 purchased since 1997) and Ford Econoline Vans (37 of the 120), it also bought Harley-Davidson motorcycles, various pickup trucks, and GMC Yukon SUVs, some of which department employees are allowed to take home. It also spent nearly $1 million on two vehicles, an $800,000 community command control center, and the BEAR, which weighs 12 tons, gets 10 miles to the gallon and cost $150,000. Middlesex Sheriff James DiPaola said these two vehicles are available to communities around the state in crisis situations and have been used local and state training seminars.