With a lot of national press attention devoted to police tactics, and the “militarization” of police departments, a vote before the St Joseph City Council Monday gained a sense of urgency for some.
But a citizens committee, the city council, and the voters had already approved the purchase of a new, armored vehicle.
It was already a part of the budget. The vote Monday was a formality.
The price tag, more than $300 thousand, seemed exorbitant to some. Others seemed surprised that the purchase had not been better publicized. Still others worried about the potential for abuse by police.
In the end it was a done deal, and officials said the alternative would be worse.
At issue was a Lenco Bearcat Armored Vehicle. Bearcat is an acronym for Ballistic Engineered Armored Response Counter Attack Truck. The price is $307,414.00, which nearly $5,000 less than anticipated.
“Had we had this vehicle at that time, we could have attached what you saw on the front of this vehicle in the middle of the front bumper, a winch, and pulled that door off of there,” Grove said. “We were not able to do that and I got shot because of that.”
Grove also sat on the citizens committee that recommended purchase of the BEARCAT.
“We voted for it in the CIP committee to put it forward, the citizens voted for it, and if you don’t vote for it, I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes, liability-wise, if an officer gets shot,” Grove told the council.
Grove, along with Ellis Cross, another member of the CIP committee, asserted that the matter received ample and widespread publicity last year when it was approved. Cross wanted to ensure that those who used the vehicle had ample training in the civil and Constitutional rights afforded to all citizens, to make sure the use of that vehicle did not violate those rights. Police Chief Chris Connally assured Cross that such training was given to all police officers, and said only a select few members of his department would operate the vehicle.
In an interview, City Manager Bruce Woody said the vote was really a formality, and that the funding had already been approved.
“Actually it was already in this year’s budget,” Woody said. “We already have the budgeting authority and the funds to make the purchase. This is just a notification and a support vote by the council to go ahead and consummate the purchase.”
Police Chief Connally laid out a series of high-risk police calls over the last several years in which his department’s current armored vehicle failed to perform, and in fact failed in the middle of dangerous operations. That vehicle, a 1971 Dodge Peacekeeper, belonged to the Kansas City Police Department until it became too unreliable for their continued use.
Connally said that during a recent standoff in Savannah, the ’71 Peacekeeper was unable to make the drive to Savannah without putting off a lot of black smoke.
Officials say that in 2012, the St Joseph Police Department’s Special Response Team responded to 24 high-risk search warrants and nine incidents in which people were barricaded in their homes. Those are the types of situations for which the BEARCAT is intended in St Joseph.
Chief Connally says that with the proper maintenance the BEARCAT could still be in use in 40 years time.
The council voted 9-0 to finalize their approval of the purchase. In separate votes, the council approved the purchase of eight new marked police vehicles and three new unmarked police cars for more than $226 thousand. They voted to delay the purchase of a new trash truck for the Parks and Recreation Department after Council Member Barbara LaBass asked for more study. LaBass feels the city might be able to save money by purchasing a vehicle fueled by natural gas.