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Advertisement Hamilton Co. receives former military APC free for SWAT team Surplus carrier provided by government program Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A big new tool has been added to the storage shed of the Hamilton County SWAT team.A 48,000-pound armored vehicle arrived Tuesday afternoon to virtually no fanfare but high interest on the part of law enforcement commanders.Watch this story | View photos of the new carrierIt is capable of withstanding improvised explosive devices and small-arms fire.The vehicle was used in Iraq and Afghanistan in recent years to move soldiers from one point to another in the war theater.It will be utilized in Hamilton County in a variety of ways, but moving SWAT officers into position will undoubtedly be much safer as a result of its addition to the safety fleet."If this never comes out, I'm OK with that," Forest Park Police Chief Phil Cannon said. "But we've got it if we need it."Need is a trigger word for intense national debate lately about the militarized aspects of police departments.In the roiling aftermath of rioting in Ferguson, Missouri, the push to grant police access to unused military vehicles and equipment has been called into question nationwide.Cannon, who heads the Hamilton County Police Association, was concerned about the image presented by the new addition.But after five months of paperwork and process, he's glad the delivery was made.The vehicle arrived by way of Fort Bliss, Texas."We just felt that it was something that we needed to continue on with," Cannon said.The vehicle is officially called a Caiman MRAP, which stands for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected.It is capable of seating 10 and will be stored at the Sheriff Department's Road Patrol facility.Scenarios for use include active-shooter situations, armed barricade standoffs, civil unrest and any instance that the Special Weapons and Tactics team deems necessary."It's coming out for a reason," Cannon emphasized. "It's coming out for the safety of those in those neighborhoods it's coming through. It's coming out because somebody has called us for help."It would also be used for weather emergencies and/or natural disasters.In fact, along with the SWAT logo, it will be branded a rescue vehicle.The current transport vehicles SWAT uses were surplus bank armored cars. The ballistic protection they have is rated for up to .38 caliber ammunition.So the additional protection could be vital in an instance where SWAT officers might be vulnerable on the perimeter of a school shooting or hostage situation. The vehicle could be backed right up to a door, permitting trained personnel to enter with minimal risk or making it much safer to carry out evacuations.The Hamilton County Police Association requested the vehicle after learning it was available at zero cost.HG Logistics handled the cost of transporting the vehicle from Texas to Hamilton County.Several other similar vehicles were provided to other police agencies around Ohio.That's likely to be fodder for critics of a program that allows government excess property to be given to departments.But Sheriff Jim Neil counters that people cannot totally separate law enforcement from the military.Neil just returned from Redstone Arsenal Base in Huntsville, Alabama, where he was recertified by the Army as a civilian bomb technician.He believes it's important for people to understand that law enforcement is paramilitary, with generally the same rank structure.First thing the police association is going to do is paint the tan-colored vehicle Army green.