Can someone please explain how police would reasonably use this thing tactically? They had to go back 16 years for an example of a case when it might have been used.
Why not just train a police marksman?
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><A HREF="http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20000813-0010_1m13armor.html" TARGET=_blank>
SWAT team bulks up with armor </A>
Victim-rescue unit to be used during hostage situations
By Joe Hughes
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
August 13, 2000
The newest police cruiser soon to hit San Diego streets will hardly look the part.
Yes, it will be painted black and white, and equipped with the obligatory lights and sirens. But all other comparisons to traditional police units will end there.
This is a 5-ton, armor-plated, bullet-resistant assault and rescue vehicle called the Peacekeeper.
Obtained at no cost as military surplus from the Air Force, the Peacekeeper has gun portholes, a roof slightly arched so gasoline from Molotov cocktails can trickle off, and it is even able to withstand grenade attacks.
San Diego police will use it primarily during hostage situations involving barricaded suspects -- often when officers are locked in gunbattles and need to get closer to someone holding people captive.
It also may be sent out during earthquakes, floods, fires and other disasters, and will be available for use by any county law agency.
"We have sorely needed a victim-rescue vehicle for some time," said San Diego police Lt. Ray Shay, who commands the department's Special Weapons and Tactics unit. "It will help remove officers and citizens from harm's way."
Police agencies nationwide are obtaining armored-type vehicles to combat criminals' increased firepower. Some agencies have acquired surplus military vehicles, similar to the San Diego police version. Others are converting armored money-transport vans.
Shay said such a vehicle might have helped police July 18, 1984, the day of the McDonald's massacre in San Ysidro, when a gunman held dozens of people hostage and officers at bay. Twenty-one people were killed and 14 were wounded.
"Yes, we could have used it there," said Shay, who was one of dozens of officers dispatched to the scene. "It may have been able to save some lives."
Before the Peacekeeper starts keeping the peace in San Diego, it needs about $30,000 worth of restoration and outfitting. The nonprofit San Diego Police Foundation, created to help raise money for police equipment and training, is seeking donations from the public.
For the past few days the distinctive-looking, four-wheel-drive, military-gray vehicle has been undergoing sandblasting at R.W. Little on Pacific Highway in Middletown after being transported to San Diego from a Wyoming military base where it was mothballed.
The Air Force last used the 1960s-vintage vehicle, price-tagged then at $100,000, to patrol missile silos worldwide. Police officers even found a pair of old dog tags while cleaning it out.
With a half-inch of armor plating and small, bullet-resistant windows, the vehicle can withstand blasts from most high-powered handguns and rifles, said SWAT Officer Bernard Updike.
There is room inside for a half-dozen officers or rescued hostages.
"It will be ideal for victim rescues, which can be very dangerous operations," Updike said. "With this, we can get up close to the hostile action."
Updike said SWAT officers, with body armor and shields, still are often no match for some of the firepower being directed at them in many incidents.
This is the San Diego Police Department's second experience with a victim-rescue vehicle.
An armored, all-terrain, amphibious vehicle bought in 1985 to help police in life-threatening situations was sold about four years ago to a Los Angeles man who provides vehicles for movies.
Police found that vehicle too bulky and unreliable. For years it sat behind the department's Western Division station at Friars Road and Napa and Gaines streets, for sale but unwanted, its gun ports filled with rainwater.
The vehicle cost $150,000, making it one of the more expensive pieces of equipment ever bought for the department. It was regarded as a mechanical nightmare in need of work. Parts were hard to find.
The Peacekeeper is built on a Dodge chassis, and parts are available, so police are hoping for a better outcome this time.
Wenda Alvarez, president and chief executive officer of the Police Foundation, said people interested in donating for the restoration can call (619) 296-9110. A benefit golf tournament will be held at Steele Canyon Golf Club on Sept. 13 to raise funds.
"The opportunity to bring community giving and public safety together is the foundation's principal role," Alvarez said. "There are thousands of citizens, businesses and organizations that share a concern for the work of the San Diego Police Department. Our job is to let people know what the department needs and the benefits of meeting those needs, then ask for help."
Depending on donations, the armored vehicle could be operating in two months.
[/quote]
[This message has been edited by JimR (edited August 14, 2000).]
Why not just train a police marksman?
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><A HREF="http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20000813-0010_1m13armor.html" TARGET=_blank>
SWAT team bulks up with armor </A>
Victim-rescue unit to be used during hostage situations
By Joe Hughes
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
August 13, 2000
The newest police cruiser soon to hit San Diego streets will hardly look the part.
Yes, it will be painted black and white, and equipped with the obligatory lights and sirens. But all other comparisons to traditional police units will end there.
This is a 5-ton, armor-plated, bullet-resistant assault and rescue vehicle called the Peacekeeper.
Obtained at no cost as military surplus from the Air Force, the Peacekeeper has gun portholes, a roof slightly arched so gasoline from Molotov cocktails can trickle off, and it is even able to withstand grenade attacks.
San Diego police will use it primarily during hostage situations involving barricaded suspects -- often when officers are locked in gunbattles and need to get closer to someone holding people captive.
It also may be sent out during earthquakes, floods, fires and other disasters, and will be available for use by any county law agency.
"We have sorely needed a victim-rescue vehicle for some time," said San Diego police Lt. Ray Shay, who commands the department's Special Weapons and Tactics unit. "It will help remove officers and citizens from harm's way."
Police agencies nationwide are obtaining armored-type vehicles to combat criminals' increased firepower. Some agencies have acquired surplus military vehicles, similar to the San Diego police version. Others are converting armored money-transport vans.
Shay said such a vehicle might have helped police July 18, 1984, the day of the McDonald's massacre in San Ysidro, when a gunman held dozens of people hostage and officers at bay. Twenty-one people were killed and 14 were wounded.
"Yes, we could have used it there," said Shay, who was one of dozens of officers dispatched to the scene. "It may have been able to save some lives."
Before the Peacekeeper starts keeping the peace in San Diego, it needs about $30,000 worth of restoration and outfitting. The nonprofit San Diego Police Foundation, created to help raise money for police equipment and training, is seeking donations from the public.
For the past few days the distinctive-looking, four-wheel-drive, military-gray vehicle has been undergoing sandblasting at R.W. Little on Pacific Highway in Middletown after being transported to San Diego from a Wyoming military base where it was mothballed.
The Air Force last used the 1960s-vintage vehicle, price-tagged then at $100,000, to patrol missile silos worldwide. Police officers even found a pair of old dog tags while cleaning it out.
With a half-inch of armor plating and small, bullet-resistant windows, the vehicle can withstand blasts from most high-powered handguns and rifles, said SWAT Officer Bernard Updike.
There is room inside for a half-dozen officers or rescued hostages.
"It will be ideal for victim rescues, which can be very dangerous operations," Updike said. "With this, we can get up close to the hostile action."
Updike said SWAT officers, with body armor and shields, still are often no match for some of the firepower being directed at them in many incidents.
This is the San Diego Police Department's second experience with a victim-rescue vehicle.
An armored, all-terrain, amphibious vehicle bought in 1985 to help police in life-threatening situations was sold about four years ago to a Los Angeles man who provides vehicles for movies.
Police found that vehicle too bulky and unreliable. For years it sat behind the department's Western Division station at Friars Road and Napa and Gaines streets, for sale but unwanted, its gun ports filled with rainwater.
The vehicle cost $150,000, making it one of the more expensive pieces of equipment ever bought for the department. It was regarded as a mechanical nightmare in need of work. Parts were hard to find.
The Peacekeeper is built on a Dodge chassis, and parts are available, so police are hoping for a better outcome this time.
Wenda Alvarez, president and chief executive officer of the Police Foundation, said people interested in donating for the restoration can call (619) 296-9110. A benefit golf tournament will be held at Steele Canyon Golf Club on Sept. 13 to raise funds.
"The opportunity to bring community giving and public safety together is the foundation's principal role," Alvarez said. "There are thousands of citizens, businesses and organizations that share a concern for the work of the San Diego Police Department. Our job is to let people know what the department needs and the benefits of meeting those needs, then ask for help."
Depending on donations, the armored vehicle could be operating in two months.
[/quote]
[This message has been edited by JimR (edited August 14, 2000).]
