Leader Photo by Tim Ryan The Sheriff’s Department Special Response Team guides hostages to the safety of an armored vehicle during a demonstration Wednesday of a mine-resistant armored personnel carrier at the firing range in Shawano.
Leader Photo by Tim Ryan An active shooter scenario concludes with hostages climbing into the back of a mine-resistant armored personnel carrier after being rescued by the Sheriff’s Department’s Special Response Team during a demonstration at the firing range Wednesday.
An armored military vehicle similar to one the Shawano County Sheriff’s Department is hoping to add to its crime-fighting arsenal was put through the paces of two active shooter scenarios Wednesday.
The demonstration was primarily aimed at dispelling what Sheriff Randy Wright said is misinformation being spread about the vehicle, but also provided a training opportunity.
The MRAP, alternately known as a mine-resistant personnel carrier and a mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle, has become an issue in Tuesday’s Republican primary for sheriff.
Wright is being challenged by Shawano police officer Adam Bieber, who has questioned the need for a MRAP.
Members of Explorer Post 9371 played school children either being held hostage or trapped under the fire of an active shooter in the two scenarios acted out Wednesday.
The MRAP, borrowed from Waupaca County, allowed the Sheriff’s Department Special Response Team (SRT) to get as close as possible to the scene and safely evacuate the children.
“Ambulance, EMS, rescue will not go into a hot zone, so we have to have a way to get in there safely to get those people and get them out safely,” said Detective Richard Wright, the sheriff’s brother.
The back of the vehicle has room for 12 people, including eight SRT members.
“I think about the high school, I think about different businesses around, the hospital, things like that, such wide open areas,” Detective Wright said. “If you’ve got people laying down in the front there, laying there shot or hurt or anything like that and the gunman’s still inside, you can drive right up there, grab those people, get them to safety, get them help and you can deploy your team in there to take care of the shooter.”
The Sheriff’s Department has borrowed similar armored vehicles, called Bearcats, from Brown and Marathon counties six times over the past year. When they are available, wait times can be more than an hour.
The Sheriff’s Department last week dealt with a hostage situation in Tigerton and requested a Bearcat from Marathon County. It was not available because Marathon County had a gunman situation of its own at the time.
Three of the hostages in the Tigerton situation made it safely out the back door of the residence while the gunman was on the front steps, but another was barricaded in an upstairs bedroom.
The man eventually surrendered.
Detective Keith Sorlie said the MRAP would allow officers to get as close as possible to a situation — even allowing a negotiator to talk with a gunman via speaker from the vehicle — without being put in danger.
“It saves our team from having to run up a long driveway or something like that where they could come under fire,” he said.
Waupaca County has had its MRAP for a few months, Capt. Todd Rasmussen said. It replaced a 25-year-old armored vehicle and was obtained through federal funding.
It has been used so far on two high-risk drug-related search warrants, Rasmussen said.
The Shawano County Sheriff’s Department would get its MRAP by paying an annual $500 membership fee to Wisconsin Emergency Management, which will allow the department to obtain available military equipment.
The department has already been approved for the vehicle by WEM but also needs federal approval.
The department will also pay transportation costs to deliver the vehicle from Texas, and pay for outfitting the vehicle with radios and other equipment.
The roughly $10,000 in transportation and outfitting costs will be funded by asset forfeitures taken from drug dealers.
Randy Wright said the department has about $40,000 in that fund.
The department would pay an estimated $300 a year for maintenance, which would be done by the county Highway Department.
Waupaca County provided the MRAP for Wednesday’s demonstration at no cost. The Sheriff’s Department paid for the eight gallons of diesel fuel. The SRT time was covered by the department’s training budget.
Bieber could not be reached for comment Wednesday.