The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Department is the first in the country to purchase an Oshkosh Corp. TPV. Officials say the vehicle is needed to protect officers responding to increasingly dangerous incidents. Credit: Oshkosh Corp.

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The Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Department says it has become the nation's first law enforcement agency to buy a $220,000 Oshkosh Corp. tactical vehicle that's based on a military truck used in the mountains of Afghanistan.

The truck, which has an armored body and bulletproof windows, is designed for urban settings as well as off-road use, according to Oshkosh Corp., which has sought new markets for tactical vehicles as the war has ended in Iraq and winds down in Afghanistan.

Called a Tactical Protector Vehicle, it is slightly smaller than a Humvee but has a body capable of stopping armor-piercing bullets. Blast protection from roadside bombs is available as an option.

The truck is modeled after the SandCat, an Oshkosh troop carrier with a V-shaped, blast-dispersing bottom built on a Ford truck chassis.

The SandCat is beefier than a Humvee because of its armor, yet it's not much wider or longer. It has been used by the U.S. military in off-road terrain in Afghanistan, including steep mountain trails that bigger vehicles can't climb.

The Tactical Protector Vehicle can carry nine passengers and is about 8 feet tall and nearly 17 feet in length. It has a 362-horsepower V-10 engine, can reach speeds up to 75 mph, and can run on flat tires.

It has a 42-foot turning radius - meaning it can maneuver in congested urban settings, said Ken Juergens, vice president and general manager of Joint Programs for Oshkosh Defense.

Fond du Lac County Sheriff Mylan Fink said the area has seen a significant increase in the number of incidents requiring the department's tactical team - from delivering high-risk warrants to calls involving armed suspects.

In March, two City of Fond du Lac police officers were shot, one fatally, while responding to the home of a man who was firing a gun.

At the end of a six-hour standoff, the man who shot the officers was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

"Our officers are managing high-risk situations that continue to grow in severity and numbers," Fink said in a news release. "The addition of the new Oshkosh TPV to our vehicle fleet will expand our tactical capabilities and provide greater protection for our officers."

Faced with an 8% budget cut, Fond du Lac County officials said they still wanted the vehicle.

It is being paid for with county funds rather than federal Homeland Security dollars, which were not available, according to county officials.

The Sheriff's Department's current armored vehicle was built in 1964, said County Board Chairman Martin Farrell.

"We have not gone on a spending spree by any means," Farrell said. "Quite honestly, we have some tightfisted board members, but nobody questioned this or voted against it."

In October, Waukesha County paid $260,000 for an armored vehicle. It has been used several times and goes out on every tactical-team call, according to Deputy Inspector Eric Severson.

"I can tell you there is probably no more comforting feeling than knowing you are in or behind an armored vehicle when you're being shot at," he said. "The bottom line is it's a piece of safety equipment, just like body armor."