Toledo City Council will consider Wednesday a police department request to accept an armored vehicle from the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency.
The Mine Resistant Ambush Protected armored personnel carrier would be used to ensure the safe transport of personnel, injured people, and supplies in high-risk situations, Police Chief Michael Troendle said.
“The primary use for the MRAP would be to transport our tactical medics, medical gear, and extract injured persons out of hot zones. It would be used at scenes of active shooters, barricaded suspects, and hostage rescue,” the chief said during an agenda review meeting last week.
Toledo police now have one armored vehicle that is assigned to its Special Weapons and Tactics team, and the chief said it’s that team’s means of entry into barricade or shooting incidents.
“Our tactical medics, unfortunately, have no protection,” Chief Troendle said. “So they sit in vehicles and have to stay further away from a scene because they are unable to get close enough due to the safety risks of that team. This vehicle will allow us to get into a better position closer to the scene, extract any wounded, and provide a barrier between active scenes and rescue operations.”
Fire Chief Allison Armstrong said she was “very passionate” about the use of an MRAP vehicle for fire and rescue personnel.
“Our fire and rescue personnel can get into a very difficult situation when we’re called to assist in those types of scenes. I think this is another step to ensure our safety while still being able to make the scene and get access to the injured person we need to help,” Chief Armstrong said. “This is just another tool in our toolbox to allow us to do that.”
Chief Troendle said the vehicle also would be useful during disaster responses.
“During last year’s tornado, this would have allowed us to get down streets blocked by brush and small trees, to check on homeowners and residents,” the police chief said. “In a flood, this is one of the highest standing vehicles to get in through those types of areas.”
Councilman Theresa Morris said weather-related response could be particularly important to flood-prone Point Place, which is in her district.
Along with the tornado that “came out of nowhere,” a bad Nor’easter storm shortly after Ms. Morris was first seated caused flooding nearly bad enough to evacuate the neighborhood.
“We will, unfortunately, continue to see these weather-related tragedies, so from the Point Place standpoint, I support that kind of assistance,” she said before remarking, “We’re lucky we don’t have active shooters. I know this is kind of a hard thing to swallow for some, but you want something like this and not have to use it.”
The vehicle’s annual estimated maintenance cost is about $2,000, Chief Troendle said before predicting average use of two times per month.
“We roughly have two to three callouts per month for our tactical teams. And not every callout would need this vehicle,” he said.
The police department had requested an MRAP in 2021, but it was rejected by city council, with some councilmen concerned the vehicle could be used against civilians during protests.
Since then, restrictions have been placed on cities’ use of MRAP vehicles, the police chief told council.
“There are some important things that have happened in the last few years that limit our usage of the vehicle. President Biden issued an executive order that imposed those restrictions. There is a very fine line when we can use that vehicle,” he said.
The vehicle would be a conditional transfer or loan from the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency.
Councilman Nick Komives expressed concerns about the executive order issued by President Biden that could be reversed by future presidents.
“A new president could come in and potentially throw the executive order out,” he said. “I feel uncomfortable unless we put what the usage is in writing that will still remain for only those intended purposes, as opposed to it being changed and used against our residents who are engaging in their constitutional rights.”
Sean Nestor, a community activist who opposes MRAPs’ use by police, similarly said he fears the vehicle still could be used against civilians involved in protests.
“Police have a tremendous amount of discretion. What happens when the policy restrictions and Biden’s executive order are violated?” Mr. Nestor said, describing the second proposed vehicle as further militarizing police who “should not be a standing army in control of the population.”.
Mr. Nestor recalled TPD’s armored vehicle firing rubber bullets into a crowd during a downtown protest in 2020.
“They were shooting rubber bullets that shattered some bones. I had that pointed at me. Depending on where it could have hit my body, it could have been fatal,” he said.
A lawsuit filed by two women injured in that incident who have alleged police used excessive force remains pending against the city, although other plaintiffs settled their cases.
The Wood County Sheriff’s Office has had one of the vehicles for at least 10 years.
“It’s a defensive vehicle. No weapons are mounted on it,” Wood County Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn said. “It’s a four-wheel drive, and sits up high, goes through bad weather, and 36 inches of water. So when we have flooding in our communities, we can drive in there and rescue people.”
And its bulletproof armor enhances special response teams’ safety when they must serve an arrest warrant under dangerous circumstances, the sheriff said.
“They can approach a house, be close behind the vehicle, and be protected,” he said. “Every time we have a callout and we know there are weapons, we take the MRAP to protect the team members in an armored vehicle when someone wants to do them harm.”
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