Thread: Upstate NY officials push for surplus armored Humvee for emergency responders

Upstate NY officials push for surplus armored Humvee for emergency responders

Mon, 2012-04-23 08:23 AM
By: Mark Rockwell

Humvee

A U.S. senator and local emergency responders in upstate New York are hoping to get at least one of a dozen surplus armored Humvees that recently arrived at a U.S. Army base in the region.

Noting that a dozen of the surplus armored vehicles had recently arrived at Ft. Drum in nearby Jefferson County, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and the Oneida County, Sheriff’s Office urged the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency to turn one to the Sheriff’s office where it could be used in a number of roles.

In a letter to DLA Vice Admiral Alan Thompson on April 19, Schumer said the vehicle could “provide vital protection to Oneida’s Sheriff Office personnel.”

Schumer prioritized the request to the Law Enforcement Support Office, which is a subset of the Defense Department that administers the 1033 Program that permits free transfer of excess DoD supplies and equipment to state and local law enforcement agencies.

With Oneida County’s application for a Humvee submitted, Schumer said Oneida County Sheriff Rob Maciol had specific and proactive plans for the Humvee, including a critical role as part of the “Emergency Response Team,” which handles a variety of high-risk situations.

Schumer said he pushed for the Oneida County Sherriff to get one of the vehicles because the office had only recently joined the federal 1033 Program.
The Oneida Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team handles dangerous situations like standoffs, hostage negotiations and shooter situations. Schumer also said the vehicle would be used in dealing with treacherous extreme weather conditions throughout the county that other vehicles would not be suited to handle, like flooding and snow storms.

“Senator Schumer knew we were interested in an Up-armored humvee and immediately walked us through the process of bringing one here to Oneida County,” said Maciol in an April 19 statement. “As one of New York’s larger Sheriff Offices across the state, we could really utilize this piece of equipment and because of Senator Schumer’s help, we’ll continue to monitor other surplus equipment in the future. With his assistance today, Senator Schumer has once again proven he’s never too busy to fight for New York’s first responders.”

Upstate NY officials push for surplus armored Humvee for emergency responders | Government Security News