Fate Of Military Surplus Vehicle Will Go Before Davis City Council On Tuesday
DAVIS (CBS13) — The Davis City Council will decide exactly how the city's police department will get rid of the armored vehicle the city acquired from a military surplus program.
Many Davis residents were concerned when they found out the department acquired a mine-resistant, ambush-protected armored vehicle. The MRAP was developed by the military for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. After Pentagon budget cuts, the vehicle has been making its way to local law enforcement.
City Council members agreed the vehicle is not needed in a city the size of Davis, and voted to dispose of it in August.
One of the main reasons the majority of council members wanted to get rid of the MRAP, is because they don't want the people of Davis to lose the trust they have with the police department.
"A military surplus piece of equipment, designed for a combat situation," said Mayor Pro Tem Robb Davis. "It was my judgement that it would be potentially damaging to our community to have this vehicle in place."
The city council gave the department 60 days to come up with options on how to get rid of the vehicle, and now those 60 days are up. The council will decide whether to give it back to the agency that gave it to them in the first place, or pass it on to another jurisdiction on the approval list for a MRAP vehicle.
"I think the staff is recommending that we simple give it back," Davis said. "That is certainly something I would feel very comfortable with."
The decision to accept the vehicle came under heavy scrutiny in August amid a national debate on police militarization spurred by Ferguson, Missouri law enforcement's response to protests of the death Michael Brown.
The council and the police department will also start a series of public forums so officers can discuss the types of safety concerns they have, and what equipment may be necessary for the department.
