Local Wisconsin law enforcement in Outagamie County and Appleton have jointly applied to add the MRAP, or Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle, to their arsenal. If approved, they would join a growing list of law enforcement around the United States, including Maine, Indiana, Wyoming and more, who have received the six-wheeled vehicle.
According to the Post-Crescent, the vehicle — which is the Caiman Multi-Theater Vehicle from BAE Systems — will be used primarily for rescue operations and provide safety to law enforcement teams. Appleton Police are already using a vehicle similar to a Bearcat on its SWAT calls, and the new vehicle will be incorporated into their operations, Appleton Police Chief Pete Helein said.
“This vehicle we’ve been offered really can be considered a rescue vehicle. If we have an active shooter at a school, we could get up to the school and evacuate the children and staff members. We could evacuate staff from a place of employment. If we have a barricaded gunman, we could get people in a safe environment and get them out of there,” Helein said.
As the Post-Crescent reports, the vehicle is being acquired as part of a program which enables the Department of Defense to transfer surplus military property to state and local law enforcement agencies.
