Not just West Lafayette, Ind.
West Lafayette, Ind., isn’t the only city taking advantage of military resources. The Defense Department is sharing 165 mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles, or MRAPs, with law enforcement. Here are some of the pros and cons of these vehicles.
Pros:
-The armor and size of the vehicles makes them suitable protection for officers in dangerous situations.
-The Defense Department are offering the vehicles are being offered for free to law enforcement.
-The intimidation factor of the vehicles could deter crime or violence against officers.
Cons:
-The size of the vehicles make them unable to access some roads and bridges.
-The cost of refitting the vehicles for civilian areas and fueling them can be extraneous.
-Some groups are hesitant about giving domestic law enforcement access to military resources.
Source: nydailynews.com
The West Lafayette, Ind., police department will soon have a moving shield made from a refitted armored carrier.
The military loaned the carrier to the city, but it could recall the vehicle if needed.
The truck, which has never seen combat, would be used to shield the SWAT team should a situation arise where they might come under fire.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — An armored carrier the West Lafayette police department recently acquired from the U.S. military is being refitted and will soon serve as a “moving shield” for officers, the city’s police chief said.
Police Chief Jason Dombkowski said the big truck, which has armored plating intended to protect its occupants from bomb blasts, is essentially on permanent loan from the military but can be recalled by the federal government at any time.
He said the vehicle will be used by his department’s SWAT team when it responds to standoffs and other dangerous situations to give them cover from suspects who might shoot at them.
“What that thing is, it’s a moving shield for our officers to make an approach,” Dombkowski told the Journal & Courier said. “It is a large shield for our officers to move behind.
“When I call on my officers to go into harm’s way, I owe it to them and to their families to provide them with available equipment to protect themselves and rescue citizens.”
The truck, valued at about $600,000, was built in 2008 and has never been in combat but has about 11,000 miles on it.
Officers parked the armored carrier outside the police station when it arrived, attracting a crowd of gawkers.
The hulking black truck will be sent to a local National Guard Armory this week for modifications, including removal of the gun turret mounted atop the vehicle. The changes will cost taxpayers about $4,000, Dombkowski said.
The only other recurring cost is likely to be the annual insurance bill likely amounting to several hundred dollars, said West Lafayette Clerk-treasurer Judy Rhodes.
City Councilman Peter Bunder, an outspoken critic of the city’s fiscal matters, said the truck’s acquisition and its upkeep is not a big expense to West Lafayette taxpayers.
“If they want a big truck, they can have a big truck,” he said.
Dombkowski said when the truck’s upgrade is finished, it will also be available for other law enforcement agencies in the region.
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