Redwood City Police Add Military MRAP to Fleet

The Redwood City Police Department is the latest law enforcement agency to receive wartime military equipment from the U.S. Government.

The California-based police department recently attained a 60,000-pound MRAP, according to NBC Bay Area.

The $750,000 vehicle, originally designed to protect troops in Iraq and Afghanistan from roadside bombs, was paid for by the government as part of a program that provides surplus military equipment to local law enforcement agencies.

“It’s simply a way to move our officers around in a protected environment and evacuate civilians in an emergency instance,” Redwood City Police Lt. Ashley Osborn told NBC Bay Area.

The transfer of wartime equipment to police departments across the nation is a growing trend with the near 15-year war in the Middle East coming to a slow end.

The new Redwood City Police vehicle, like most others obtained around the country, will only be used during emergency situations and not on patrol.