The budget for the Oak Ridge police department in 2021 is $774,672. $747,847 of the budget was just for personnel expenses (so salaries and benefits). That doesn't even leave $32k for all other expenses, let alone just to buy one tool. And the budget was definitely less in 2005, while the scanner was likely much more. There's no way they could have afforded it. This was not caused by a corrupt police department. If you want to blame anyone, blame the state or federal government for not financing these things, or for not encouraging the kinds of collaboration between police departments that would allow this department to borrow a scanner from a much wealthier department.

Link for budget amounts: http://www.oakridgetn.gov/department/Finance/content.aspx?article=1853