Mega-truck designed for disasters relegated to mundane police work

   In 2005, Uncle Sam bought El Paso County a quartermillion-dollar armored vehicle designed to handle everything from weapons of mass destruction to natural disasters.

   Since then, it's been used 52 times for ordinary police work: arresting potentially violent suspects or fugitives, protecting dignitaries, handling civil disturbances and dealing with people barricaded in a home or business with hostages.

   The 250-horsepower Ballistic Engineered Armored Response & Rescue (BEAR) truck was purchased with funds provided by the Homeland Security Department for El Paso, Teller, Lake, Park and Chaffee counties.

   It cost $246,675, with an additional $17,477 spent on such after-market enhancements as ballistic shields, roof-mounted remote-control spotlights, radiation detection equipment, an explosive gas detection system and an intercom system.

   El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa said the expense is justified because the vehicle is needed to shield the county's SWAT team from danger.

   "You buy things to better protect your people, to provide them with more resources to handle more unexpected situations," he said.

   "We used to use regular vans," Maketa said. "When you put six to eight beefy guys in it with all their equipment and the gear they carry, it was very squishy as far as the suspension goes. It had no ballistic protection."

   But James Carafano, a homeland security expert with Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, D.C., derided the purchase as "ridiculous."

   "Buying toys for boys doesn't make sense for longterm security," he said.

   Federal Homeland Security money, Carafano contends, should be reserved for things that "allow the country to respond as a nation."

   Noting the National Guard has heavy-duty vehicles for use in emergencies, he called El Paso County's armored truck redundant.

   "Something like this is a total waste of money," he said. "If someone thinks they need that, they should go out and buy it themselves."

   Maketa disagreed, saying local agencies need to be equipped for major catastrophes.

   "For the first 72 hours, the feds won't be involved. It's going to be 100 percent local," he said. "Homeland Security is trying to create an even playing field for some level of response."

   Maketa said the truck has been a bargain, costing the county $3,848 in maintenance and $1,990 for fuel. The vehicle gets 11 to 13 miles per gallon, and its top speed is 65 to 70 mph, Maketa said. Other agencies pay those costs if they borrow the truck for several days.

   While other agencies have used the truck, it's used most often by El Paso County. The Colorado Springs Police Department used it 10 times, including during the shooting rampage at New Life Church in December.

   Teller County doesn't need to borrow it, because it has its own armored truck, bought in 2006 with federal money.

   "Homeland security isn't just about catching bin Laden or trying to get the guy sneaking a dirty bomb across the border," Maketa said. "Fire and floods have been a part of it, as well as crime at the local level. The feds know the locals don't have basic assets they need. It's an asset we feel is needed."

   Before the truck could be used, design flaws had to be fixed, the engine needed adjusting for high-altitude use and the rear suspension needed work. SWAT officers also had to be trained in its use. 

   CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0238 or pam.zubeck@gazette.com