"The
giant truck didn’t even faze City Councilman Peter Bunder, D-2nd
District, an outspoken critic over fiscal matters with which he
disagrees.
“I don’t care,” Bunder said with a chuckle. “If they want a big truck, they can have a big truck. ... My heart is not moved.”- J&C 1/13/14
I've changed my mind. It's not funny anymore.
- USA Today 6/12/20
In 2013 the City of West Lafayette was focused on annexation. (The 2013 Council Minutes Archive is missing on line.) The police chief wanted a big truck. It was free. It seemed almost comical. There was a Dave Sattler cartoon (above), plus some on-line humor too.
As
a member of the military who has driven one of those things, I would
rather drag my d---- though a mile of broken glass than drive an MRAP
through West Lafayette.
It's like driving semi while looking through a periscope. The WL police have no tactical value in owning an MRAP. It is a terrible riot control vehicle. It's a d--- waving competition.
Finally, something in West Lafayette with worse blind spots than the Boilermaker Special.
One person did complain; the Clerk-Treasurer. There were some costs.
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.
The purchase includes a new black paint job from the local DeFouw
Chevrolet dealership and gun turret removal from the nearest Army
National Guard.
When
the transition from U.S. military armored carrier to West Lafayette
police armored special team carrier is finished, taxpayers will be on
the hook for $4,065, Police Chief Jason Dombkowski said.
So we signed up for the permanent loan of this obsolete piece of military equipment. Here's what it looked like before it was painted black.
 | |||||
| An armored vehicle sits on the driveway of West Lafayette Police Department 10/28/13 - Purdue Exponent |
After George Floyd, the militarization of our police departments just doesn't seem that funny anymore. Some police departments have already returned their MRAPs to the military.
The mine-resistant vehicle doesn’t meet the Madison Police Department’s law enforcement needs, said Madison Assistant Police Chief Victor Wahl.
“It’s really designed to take a small number of troops, sort of seal
them up inside and then drive through a hostile area and allow them to
survive if there’s small arms fire or improvised explosive devices that
they drive over,” he said. “Stuff that civilian police use armored
vehicles for, it needs a lot more capacity to carry people, easier
access to get in and out. It needs to be a little bit more nimble and
flexible for maneuverability. Military Times - 4/2/2018
So should we.
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