MASON CITY – Mason City police have a snazzy Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle (MRAP) ready and waiting should local crooks get too cocky, but is it truly needed?
Police Chief Jeff Brinkley told NIT that the Mason City police department picked up the MRAP in 2014 from the military under Chief Lashbrook.
“It is one of five units around the state and are available for use by other agencies, simply by reaching out to us,” Chief Brinkley told NIT. “The idea behind the program was to divert unused military equipment to local law enforcement agencies in order to protect local law enforcement – and their communities.”
Chief Brinkley explained that the MRAP – decked out with the Mason City police logo – “is currently used in support of the NCINTF Special Operations Group (SOG) in tactical operations. We have used it in floods and supported the Iowa State Patrol in an incident last year with the pursuit of an armed subject on Interstate 35. It is designed for hostage or officer rescue as its primary mission. It has capabilities that no other vehicle has in terms of getting through snow and water. We have a small group of officers specifically trained to operate the vehicle. The AMRAP was painted and upfit with emergency lighting and communications equipment after it was delivered to MCPD.”
Some communities are questioning the possible militarization of police and the image it conveys – strong policing, perhaps. Just this week, according to an article in the Iowa City Press-Citizen, that community is considering getting rid of their MRAP vehicle after a “local civil rights activist group the Iowa Freedom Riders demanded the city stop using it, citing its traumatic impact on residents.”
Ongoing costs to keep up the MRAP weren’t available, and there was no known community aversion to the vehicle in Mason City.
24 thoughts on “Mason City’s MRAP armored vehicle ready to battle crooks, floods, protect officers and more – but is it truly needed?”
The article states that there was no known aversion to the vehicle in Mason City. What is the basis of that statement? Who was asked their feelings about the vehicle? Was there a study made on who wanted it or not? Apart from that, I think it’s a good idea to have it. About the time we need it and don’t have it, people will be climbing out of the woodwork to get one.
by reading the comments, it is very easy to see who has been arrested in the last year.
I thought the idiot socialists already defunded the police.
it will scare folk and remind them this is a police state not really freedom here
maybe use it at the border then
then why do you come here?
Keep it, I’m not intimidated by it, I’m not a snowflake or buttercup, and I don’t foresee any traumatic impact on my life. Let the sheeple run and hide in terror, Baaaaaaaaa.
You may be no sheep but you sure like the orange Kool Aid. We can tell you can’t think for yourself by that bright orange Kool Aid mustache on your face.
You were never that close to O’Biden were you?
Who’s the “we” that you are talking about, do you have a pocket full of sheep shit, Baaaaaaa. Besides, you talk out of your ass because your head knows, nothing, keep following the flock.
Kool Aid drinking cult follower who only does what the cult leader tells him to do & how to think.
Please stop. Without a 20mm rotating turret cannon mounted on top what good is it. By the time they arrive those ‘george jetson’ electric car will be gone like a rocket. There’s not a muscle car out there that can beat a standard tesla magic machine. ‘cept a faster 20mm shell cannon. Can they out run a drone? Yes. There’s been a report yesterday out of LAX airport of a jet pack man flying around at 5,000 feet nearby. Not a drone. Again, 20mm cannon faster. That thing looks heavy. These old bridges aren’t in the best of shape. Can it snorkel the Winnebago river? One thing it’s spot on good for is running clean through any house. Brick or not. Name one building in MC it can run clean through like a runaway bulldozer only better. Faster. It’s probably gunna be called the ‘Trap Buster’. Loaded for bear and bad guys.
Used correctly, I have no problem with it. IF it’s used frivolously…
Super cool – hang on to it – with bidon as el presidento your going to need it. Put on some borla mufflers and a set of mag wheels way cool man.
Right there with ya until you had to bring politics into it.
but you still replied, anything to perpetuate the hate.
It will look great in parades.
They can’t afford to drive it
It was free and it has uses to protect the police officers which is the same as protecting the public.
Name one instance in the last 50 years where this would have been needed. It’s a conversation piece and that is all.
We don’t live in the same environment we did 50 years ago. 50 years ago you could take a gun to school and nobody cared because everyone knew the student only had it to go hunting after school. It will be useful in the next big blizzard because people will not stay off the roads.
Flood
If you were to think I’m sure you could come up with a good dozen large, heavy machines that would be more cost efficient to use during a flood.
name 10!