Police Chief Nero presented the history, current status, and a recommendation for moving forward with respect to the MRAP vehicle at a Council workshop on January 27, 2015. It is clear that the Chief has been taking flak on deploying this vehicle as part of the Georgetown police. The chief presented three options:
1. Keep the MRAP and continuously evaluate
2. Transfer MRAP and rely on mutual aid from other agencies
3. Procure a civilian armored vehicle
The Chief presented information that 23 of 29 agencies that serve cities similar in size to Georgetown have armored vehicles. Three of those 29 share the vehicle through a regional SWAT initiative. This option was not presented by the Chief even though Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander, and Williamson County currently own armored vehicles. The Williamson County vehicle is actually based in Georgetown!
The Chief recommended the City start preparing to dispose of the vehicle and at the same time work with the Council to purchase a civilian armored vehicle. The city Council basically agreed with this approach. The cost will range from $180,000 to $250,000.
The Chief justified an armored vehicle for the following scenarios.
- barricaded suspect(s)
- high risk arrests (armed & dangerous)
- officer/citizen rescue
- active shooter
The city Council unanimously agreed with the need for an armored vehicle in these scenarios.
Policy and procedures have not been established for the MRAP or any armored vehicle. The chief expects to deploy the armored vehicle to a standby location whenever, in his judgment, a high risk warrant is being served in addition to the scenarios mentioned above.
Stay tuned for further developments!
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