Palestine PD Approved for New, Specialized Vehicles

It’s All About the Ride

By Teresa Holloway
Messenger Reporter
PALESTINE – The Palestine Police Department was approved for $171,000 in the Sept. 19 regular city council meeting.
The monies, carefully saved by the department over the course of the 2016 year, will purchase two vehicles the PPD is in desperate need of: A new, tactically specialized SWAT vehicle and a newer, more reliable vehicle for the K9 unit.
Assistant Police Chief John Herod addressed the city working group. “Currently and historically the SWAT team deploys in the back of a pick-up truck. Open bed … it’s just a safety hazard for several reasons.
“We are seeing a great upswing in the violence against police. To see a bunch of police officers crammed together in the back of an open truck going down the road is an open invitation, a liability for safety,” Herod said.
Examples of violence towards police were given, and the protection of the officers is paramount if they are to be able to protect the populace, Patrol Commander Richard Johnson explained.
“It’s also a mechanical hazard. When you have a lot of people riding in the back of a pick-up truck, even a minor accident that overturns that truck you have ten or 11 officers that could be killed or injured just like that,” he added.
“That’s roughly one-third of the department,” he said. “It’s time we changed that, I believe, for our safety and for public safety.”
Storage of equipment and gear for the SWAT team and rapid deployment is critical in events SWAT is needed.
“Currently, it takes roughly 30 minutes to get all the gear loaded up and ready. Herod explained the centralized storage of SWAT equipment in a deployable vehicle would significantly reduce response time – a factor crucial in emergency situations such as an active shooter scenario.
The new vehicle would hold 12 personnel in the carrier and two in the front, plus all the required equipment.
Funding will come from unused salaries, according to Finance Director Steve Grooms. “Salary savings are actual savings, so we are transferring across all four departments.”
Mayor Bob Herrington expressed concern that budgets on paper are not equal to monies in the bank. “Budget transfers are in your packets,” Grooms said, “We will pay cash, no debt.”
Doug Smith added a different point, “We know we need to protect SWAT approaching the scene in the back of a pick-up truck. It sounds comical until the worst happens, then it’s not.”
The current K9 vehicle is on its last legs, according to officials. The presence of the canine officer in the vehicle necessitates leaving the air conditioning running during the summer months to protect the animal.
Far more than the air conditioning is faulty, according to K9 Officer Matt Kerr “The current vehicle we have was purchased over a decade ago. There are only 93,000 miles on the dark Crown Victoria, but they are hard miles.
“The front end is going out. The issue we have is mechanical reliability,” he said. Training for K9 officers and their four-legged partners is mandated by the state and federal governments. The officers must travel to Tyler for 16 training hours each week.
“The car is in bad repair. If I don’t throttle it, reverse doesn’t work. The air conditioner is going out. My car idles more than most. When I am on the scene, my dog is in the car. We all know what happens to dogs left in hot cars. There’s a memorial right outside for that,” Kerr said.
The proposed new vehicle is an SUV with rear air conditioning option and a 32 percent fuel savings during idle.“That doesn’t sound like a lot, but with the required idle time I have, it’s significant,” Kerr said.
Kerr continued, “This will not be a ‘hot-seat’ vehicle. Unless something catastrophic happens, I will be the only user.” A hot-seat vehicle is one used by various patrol officers on duty.
The SUV has storage in the back for the equipment the K9 team requires, Kerr explained.
Police Chief Mike Alexander emphasized the public and officer safety and efficiency requirements considered in requesting the purchase of both vehicles.
Alexander stressed the importance of the chosen SWAT vehicle. Space, stored gear and rapid deployment capability make the larger van a better purchase than another suburban or smaller SUV type vehicle.
[email protected]

Similar Posts

One Comment

Comments are closed.