CONTRIBUTED PHOTO A photo provided by Marshalltown Police Department Capt. Kiel Stevenson shows a Lenco BearCat armored vehicle, which he is proposing to replace the MPD’s current MRAP. After a discussion during Monday night’s meeting, the city council voted unanimously to move forward with the purchase at an estimated cost of $316,663.

Near the end of a lengthy meeting that ran about three hours on Monday night, the Marshalltown city council discussed the purchase of a new armored security vehicle for the police department with MPD Capt. Kiel Stevenson explaining the cost and its uses within the community.

Back in 2014, the department acquired a surplus military vehicle known as an MRAP, and Stevenson said the problem was the fact that it was a military vehicle and not really ideal for the things the MPD does.

“That said, it did serve its purpose for a little over a decade for us. As all of you know — and recently, we’ve been dealing with things — law enforcement is dangerous. Law enforcement is unpredictable, and having immediate access to an armored vehicle is an unfortunate necessity for us,” he said.

The MRAP is nearing the end of its useful life, and Street Superintendent Rick Legg informed Stevenson that city staff lack the training on handling big military vehicles with acquiring parts sometimes being “next to impossible.” Maintenance has been an ongoing problem, and the other major issue is that it’s not capable of being immediately deployed as it has to be kept at an offsite location. It also has a system that requires a long warmup process.

“It’s deterred us from using it at the times when we could’ve used it, and it almost makes it impossible to use it in a hasty deployment like a civilian rescue type situation or an officer rescue type situation,” he said.

His proposal was to consider the purchase of a Lenco BearCat designed for civilian law enforcement use — a smaller, more maneuverable vehicle he felt would be much more beneficial for the MPD. It runs on a smaller diesel engine and could be stored at the police department headquarters in a climate-controlled environment.

It would be the primary vehicle used for the tactical team, which is deployed around 12 times a year or once a month.

“I would tell you, as being the team commander right now and also serving on the team for well over a decade, if we had armor with us to take to every single situation, that’s what we would choose to do,” Stevenson said. “Unfortunately, we’re choosing not to do it because we don’t have the capability right now. The MRAP is too cumbersome, it’s too big. It doesn’t fit in places we need to go, so this would allow us to do just that.”

He asked the council for permission to move forward with the process but noted that the vehicles have an 18-month lead time, so it will still be a while before it would actually arrive in Marshalltown and be prepared for law enforcement use. Councilor Mike Ladehoff told the audience he was “impressed” the BearCat, didn’t feel the MRAP was ideal for the situations when the MPD needs it and agreed with the idea of moving quickly to purchase the Bearcat.

He also asked City Administrator Carol Webb about funding sources for the purchase, which is estimated to cost around $316,663, and she replied that bond proceeds would be an appropriate use.

Ladehoff then motioned to move forward with the purchase, which was quickly seconded by Councilor Mark Mitchell, and during the public comment period, Lonnie Hogeland asked about the cost. Stevenson added that the MRAP would still have some value as other agencies on a waiting list would be interested in taking it from the MPD.

“The program won’t just take it back. They’ll take it to give it to somebody else. So if we get stuck with this thing and it’s no longer serviceable, we’re in a bad position trying to deal with it,” Stevenson said.

Jim Shaw asked if the city would be buying or leasing the new vehicle, and Mayor Joel Greer said they would be purchasing it. After Greer made a few additional comments, the motion passed by a unanimous 7-0 tally.

Included in the night’s agenda packet was also a letter of support from Marshalltown Fire Chief Christopher Cross advocating for the purchase of the BearCat, citing the increasing threat of intentional acts of violence targeting first responders around the country.

“An armored vehicle such as the BearCat would provide a critical layer of protection, enabling safe rescue of pinned-down responders and civilians, rapid deployment of tactical resources and secure access to hostile environments where standard apparatus cannot operate safely,” Cross wrote. “Our departments have a long tradition of standing side-by-side in times of crisis. The addition of this vehicle would not only enhance law enforcement’s ability to respond to armed threats, but it would also directly safeguard the lives of firefighters and EMS personnel working in joint operations. I strongly urge decision-makers to approve this acquisition. The BearCat is not a luxury — it is an essential tool to protect those who protect our community.”

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Contact Robert Maharry

at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.