County Still on List to Replace Surplus Military Vehicle

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KLIX) – When law enforcement officers respond to an incident, they go prepared. They have their guns and handcuffs, communication tools and patrol cars, and in some cases, depending on the incident, they might have an armored vehicle.

The Twin Falls County Sheriff’s Office recently reapplied to receive a surplus armored carrier to replace the one it has had for more than a decade. Today known as MRAP – Mine Resistant/Ambush Protected vehicles – they once commonly were referred to as armored personnel carriers and are used by the military and law enforcement as a protection tool.

“It’s just a tool, a piece of equipment,” Staff Sgt. Matt Eden with the Sheriff’s Office said of the county’s current vehicle. “It’s basically a big box on a Dodge frame.”

And it’s bullet proof.

If you were to see it, you’d recognize it. For years the county displayed the 1982 transport vehicle at local events, where young people would climb aboard to see what it’s like inside. It also has been deployed on search and rescue missions. For the past year or so, however, it has sat dormant in a local parking lot in need of repairs.

Those repairs could cost $5,000, Eden said. That’s not something the county wants to do, and applying to the federal government for a replacement vehicle is more economically feasible. It’s surplus material.

“We try to get everything we can, but the sheriff is very frugal,” he said. “He says if we can get it, great, but if it’s not budgeted for then we can forget it. Getting surplus equipment is a way for us to keep costs down.”

The replacement vehicle, if the county indeed receives one, would be one with an International truck frame.

Some people take issue with the county having such a vehicle, he said, believing it too abrasive and unnecessary for such an area as Twin Falls. But Eden, like a good Boy Scout, says it’s better to be prepared than not.

“We have great people here, good neighbors. This county is still on the low-end of crime averages against people, but the problem increases the larger we get,” he said. “Some people don’t want us to have this kind of equipment because it reminds them the potential is here for bad things to happen.”

The vehicle would be especially useful in a hostile home or school incident, where officers and victims would potentially need to be transported safely to and from the site.

“It’s better to be prepared than not,” Eden said.

The county hasn’t yet heard if it’ll receive a replacement vehicle, and knowing how slow the federal government responds, Eden said with a chuckle, he doesn’t expect to hear anything soon.