Federal donation aids police in Gallatin, Hendersonville

Editor's note:This story originally published in The Tennessean on Sept. 8, 2013.

Both the Gallatin and Hendersonville police departments recently received, free of charge, one of the most expensive pieces of equipment given by the Department of Defense to local law enforcement agencies.

The departments were two of only six law enforcement offices in Tennessee that received mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles (MRAP). The vehicles came from Ft. Campbell, Ky., and are valued at $658,000 each. Both Gallatin's and Hendersonville's vehicles have about 9,000 miles on them.

The vehicles were obtained through Tennessee's Law Enforcement Support Office, which administers the Department of Defense's Section 1033 Excess Property Program for Local Law Enforcement Agencies. In addition to Gallatin and Hendersonville, Williamson County, Murfreesboro, Lewisburg and Scott County all received an MRAP, according to Elbert Baker, who is the office's state coordinator for federal surplus property.

Able to withstand withstand 17 hits from a .50-caliber round in the same spot on the windows and not break, Bill Sorrells, assistant chief of the Gallatin Police Department, said that the MaxxPro CAT will dramatically improve how the department handles tactical situations.

"It changes everything," Sorrells said. "Some of the things that we were not able to do before we'll be able to take care of now in a manner that is not only safer for the officers, but safer for the citizens as well."

Before receiving the new vehicle in mid-August, the Gallatin Police Department had to either use a 1980s-style military ambulance with little protection from gunfire or rely on Metro Nashville to bring an armored vehicle as part of a mutual-aid agreement the two departments have.

Gallatin Police Sgt. Chris Shockley, who is the team leader for the countywide Emergency Response Team, said that the group receives between 12 and 15 SWAT calls a year, with several involving armed individuals who are barricaded inside their homes.

"We live in a part of the country where it's very common that people own firearms, and when situations go bad, those firearms are available to them, which is obviously a threat to us depending on how they want to use them," Shockley said.

In its current configuration, the MRAP can hold seven people at a time, but Sorrells said that the Gallatin Police Department plans to make some seating alterations and hopes to be able to fit 10-12 people in the vehicle "relatively comfortably."

The vehicle will allow officers to move right up to the location of an armed suspect without worrying about their safety.

"We know he has absolutely nothing that is going to hurt us while we're in here," Shockley said.

The MRAPs are also equipped with a shielded turret, which Sorrells said would most likely be used to safely deploy tear gas into a building if needed. Before, officers had to rely on bulletproof shields, which left their legs exposed, to protect them as they moved in closer to a location.

"Even though it's a large vehicle, it's still going to allow us to move relatively close to a home or business if we've got something that is going on," Sorrells said. "We can move up relatively close and deploy that gas from the turret and never expose the officer to any danger."

'High-ticket item'

Baker said that the MRAPs were given to the agencies that requested them first. Additional MRAPs will be given to other agencies as they become available.

Currently, there are about 55 law enforcement agencies on the request list, but Baker said he expects the list to grow as more departments become aware of the MRAPs.

"The only reason there are (about 55 requests) is because those are the only people that are aware of these or have asked," Baker said.

Apart from a helicopter or aircraft, Baker said, the MRAP is one of the most expensive pieces of equipment given out to local law enforcement agencies by the Department of Defense.

"This is a really high-ticket item," Baker said. "There are very few things even in the program that exceed this."

The diesel-powered vehicle gets about 5 miles per gallon. Because the MRAP is a commercial dump truck with a special body on top, Sorrells said that the city's service center can work on the vehicle and that parts are readily available.

"We're also lucky that we've got a guy that works here that is with the Army National Guard and his job is to work on MRAPs," Sorrells said. "So he knows a lot about them."

While both departments might have few limitations to what they can use the vehicle for, they are limited in what they can do if they want to get rid of it, Baker said.

"The ownership remains with the Department of Defense," Baker said. "They can never sell this equipment. It either has to be transferred to another agency or turned back in."

Hendersonville officers drove to Fort Campbell, Ky., on Aug. 19 to pick up their 2008 model MRAP, according to Hendersonville Assistant Police Chief Jim Jones.

Other equipment

Jones said the vehicle is another tool for the department should they encounter a barricaded gunman or a school shooting situation.

"We haven't had those types of situations often in Hendersonville, and I hope we don't," he said. "But we train for all types of possible scenarios."

Other military surplus equipment Hendersonville police have obtained include two Humvees around two years ago and a boat earlier this summer. The department has also obtained several laptop computers for officers to use in their patrol cars, Jones said.

The department also has an armored personnel carrier it obtained three years ago. While that vehicle still runs, Jones said, it is in need of repair. Since the MRAP became available, his department plans to return the personnel carrier rather than repair it.

"While some of the equipment we've obtained is used every day, like the computers, we have some equipment that we hope we never have to use," Jones added. "But if we need it, and we don't have it, it's a little late."

Both the Gallatin and Hendersonville police departments said they plan to paint their vehicles black.