Politics

City of San Angelo Contemplates Buying an Armored Personnel Carrier for Police

By Brandy Ramirez, Jul 29, 2015
 

At the San Angelo City Council budget workshop meeting Tuesday morning, after members listened to budget items for consideration during the 2015-2016 fiscal year, Johnny Silvas, Single-Member District 3, motioned for consideration of an armored personnel carrier (APC) for the San Angelo Police Department to improve safety during standoff or gun-related situations.  

“It’s a passion of mine that I’m going to push,” Silvas said. “I see these things in the news, and I hope it doesn’t take something drastic for us to get serious about this.”

Silvas is not the only one hoping to get this topic on the table for budget approval.

San Angelo Police Chief Tim Vasquez said this request has been an item on the Capital Improvement Plan, and he's been asking for one for roughly 11 years. In previous standoff situations, officers had to use APCs from other cities.

 "The last time we needed one to approach a subject, Abilene brought theirs here to help," Vasquez said. "It enabled us to safely get close to our suspect in that high risk situation without injury or loss of life."

Referencing that and other situations that have had the potential to turn deadly, Vasquez cited officer safety as the primary motivator behind his request. He noted the undeniable frequency of police standoffs and officer-involved shootings in the city and said that the addition of an APC to the fleet could ultimately mean the difference between life and death for his officers. He said the APC will provide them a safe means for approaching armed and barricaded subjects. 

"It's a tool that can save lives: officers' and citizens," Vasquez said. "We have recognized for years that we needed an APC. We are way behind. We need this tool for the Concho Valley."

Vasquez said originally the U.S. Government awarded MRAPs to cities across the nation for free; however, the Obama administration canceled the program because of it’s high annual cost of $45 billion. San Angelo was on a waiting list at the time.

As a result, the city put the APC on the Capital Improvement Plan, but it hasn’t made the budget.

Silvas wants to change that.

“I’m going to keep harping on it,” he said. “I think all of the police officers could benefit from it.”

Vasquez said in today’s climate officers could use an APC to protect officers on all approaches, and it would help with victim recovery.

During the council workshop, Silvas said the APC would cost approximately $290,000. Vasquez said it would cost about $260,000. The other city council members disagreed and said it would be closer to $400,000.

After researching APC pricing, San Angelo LIVE! found the average cost for the armored personnel vehicle ranges from approximately $500,000 to $600,000.

In a survey conducted via SurveyMonkey, San Angelo residents showed a clean divide on the issue, voting 50 percent pro and 50 percent no out of 72 responses. To take the survey yourself, follow this link. 

Update 9:20 a.m.

This morning, Police Chief Tim Vasquez clarified the proposed APC purchase. The San Angelo Police Department is looking at the Lenco brand of APCs that are designed for police use. Specifically, the police are looking at the BearCat line. Click here to learn more about the Lenco Armored Vehicle APC lines. Vasquez stands firm that the smaller APCs are not as expensive as the military Stryker-style APCs and will fall in line with his proposed budget of $260,000. "The BearCat is the less expensive option and it will meet our needs just fine," Vasquez said.

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Comments

The city currently has an APC parked at the Police gun range. The problem with the one we have (besides dead batteries and some repair) is that it is tracked and would have to be driven on city streets to the area of response. At one time a specialized trailer and a truck to pull it was contemplated. The APC is Viet Nam era and is either a M111 or M113 and there should be plenty of spare parts available.

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We need a Panzer to ride around in at the parade. Other than that, i am not sure what the net benefit is to the good kind folks of San Angelo, but it looks really cool.

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Uh, maybe we should be asking why we even need to go hollywood bombs/guns a blazin' in the first place? Perhaps, something a little wrong with the violence levels in our society?. Maybe Silvas and other council members should be more passionate about creating jobs and other programs for unemployed, underemployed and underpaid teens and young adults--for starters--instead of propelling the cat chasing it's own tale syndrome?

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"San Angelo Police Chief Tim Vasquez said this request has been an item on the capital improvement plan for several years now, and he's been asking for one for roughly 11."

And how long have the taxpayers been pleading with the City Council to repair the roads in San Angelo? They get worse each day and the members of the City Council remain mum on the issue. Meanwhile, the request for funding of an APC goes to the top of the agenda thanks to council member Johnny Silvas.

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gornan, Wed, 07/29/2015 - 11:11

Get real! We do not need an APC. We need a tank, then, we will be ready for pot heads. bad drivers and wayward city council members who can't even get the streets repaired,
the grass cut in city parks. Councilman Silvas, edt al, should direct their "passions" to
what the city NEEDS and not to what the city WANTS. It's needs and wants and nit wants and needs. Prioties first, goodies second WISE UP

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gornan, Wed, 07/29/2015 - 11:23

We do not need an APC, we need a "TANK". The we can can deal with pot heads, bad drivers and overly passionate city council members who cannot get our streets repaired, the grass cut at city parks and other essentials. The priorities are
needs and wants" and not bicycle paths through flood zones and other eye candy.
Get Real Johnny and save your passion for the opposite sex!!!!

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it's more important to get an APC that wouldn't be used every day than it is to fix our roads or perhaps hire more policemen to patrol our streets? if the chief wants a safer place perhaps he shouldn't keep turning down people who apply for jobs with the SAPD

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Lets get it as long as its first use will be to arrest Silvas. It seems that hey may have broke a few laws with the trash bid by having his golf and meals paid for during the negotiations. What ever happen to that story?

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Surely with this fantastic trash deal the city and Morrison has screwed us into, I'm sure there's an old, unused trash truck sitting around the Republic yard somewhere that could be utilized for this APC..... It would be perfect. When a response is needed, the police are just headed to some trashy person that is holed up somewhere, gather him up, throw him in the truck like the piece of trash they are and carry them away.......

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Are you kidding me?
For sleepy little San Angelo?
So a new police station, a fleet of new Tahoes, now this.
Its seems only resonable to add a helicopter to the budget at this point, right?
Silvas, your an idiot.

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That will look great parked outside the new Police Station on Beauregard. Necessity? No.

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No offense...but didn't we just buy a $80,000 robot to go inside of buildings when there is a hostage situation, standoffs or an incident where the SAPD cannot enter a building? I thought that was to protect our officers and save lives. So now we are going to be buying a $260,000 APC to help protect officers in almost the same situations. I'm sorry if I think this a little too much. By the time the council members and Vasquez are done "improving" our city......our officers are not going to be able to do much because there will be some sort of gadget to do their jobs for them. This just seems a little extreme to me. No offense.

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San Angelo does not need an APC. Period. While other cities are already selling off their surplus military hardware, SA decides to get in the game. Do these people not read? America woke up late last year (Post-Ferguson) and realized that every podunk town in the country had quietly outfitted themselves with BearCats, select-fire rifles, and TactiCool gear. Citizens are tired of seeing SWAT teams breaking down doors because someone might be smoking a joint. If we were going to get an armored vehicle, we should have gotten a free one while the DoD was giving them away.

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