November 16, 2016
MRAP arrives in county
BY ALYSSA MEIER
BHG News Service
BHG News Service
The McLean County SWAT team has added a new vehicle to their specialized fleet, hoping it can help them maneuver both inclement weather and sensitive situations.
An MRAP, or mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicle, was delivered to the McLean County Sheriff’s Department recently, at only the cost of transportation.
“We paid $3,500 to get it here, but the MRAP itself was free,” Chief Deputy Richard Johnson said.
Johnson said that an Air Force base in California had a surplus of the vehicles and was giving them to qualifying organizations free of cost.
“There were more of these MRAPs than there were law enforcement agencies in the U.S. that could request them,” Johnson said. This particular MRAP had previously been used in Iraq and Kuwait before being parked at the Air Force base in 2014.
An MRAP, or mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicle, was delivered to the McLean County Sheriff’s Department recently, at only the cost of transportation.
“We paid $3,500 to get it here, but the MRAP itself was free,” Chief Deputy Richard Johnson said.
Johnson said that an Air Force base in California had a surplus of the vehicles and was giving them to qualifying organizations free of cost.
“There were more of these MRAPs than there were law enforcement agencies in the U.S. that could request them,” Johnson said. This particular MRAP had previously been used in Iraq and Kuwait before being parked at the Air Force base in 2014.
