Cameron Police Department unveils new SWAT vehicle

The Cameron Police Department recently received a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle for use as part of a joint SWAT team operation along with county law enforcement agencies.

The MRAP, will provide the area SWAT team – composed of CPD officers as well as deputies from the DeKalb, Daviess and Clinton counties – additional safety as they deploy in dangerous situations.

“This piece of equipment is one thing our tactical team didn’t have. We always had to call other SWAT teams in case we needed an armored vehicle,” Cameron Police Chief Rick Bashor said. “It’s a great asset for our community and all around for all of the agencies. If something were to happen, then we would be able to deploy pretty quickly from our area. It’s something not every department will have.”

The MRAP comes to the Cameron Police Department via a grant through the U.S. Department of Defense. Through the program, municipal law enforcement agencies receive surplus military vehicles. Bashor said the CPD’s MRAP is unique because it comes with little more than 100 miles of service.

“I first heard the sheriff’s department looking into this program a few years ago,” Bashor said. “There was an incident where Cameron officers and DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department went to a disturbance in the county and some gun shots started being fired. There was a standoff with that individual. We actually had to call the St. Joseph Police Department and Buchanan County, who had some of these armored vehicles to come in and we used them to resolve it.”

Bashor said it makes sense to house the MRAP at the CPD, with Cameron’s centralized location between DeKalb, Clinton and Daviess counties. As the most likely meet-up point, the joint-operation SWAT team can quickly deploy to any hostile situation. Along with providing SWAT team members protection from gunfire, as well as improvised explosives, Bashor said the MRAP can also provide protection to evacuate citizens from dangerous areas.

“The vehicle, to my understanding, is free. It’s in the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department’s name,” Bashor said. “With their deputies being on this, they just thought it would be better to have it centrally located in Cameron. The SWAT team, usually on activation, will come here first, get their equipment and deploy from here. This is just another piece of equipment they can use.”