On Tuesday night, the Longmont City Council approved a resolution allowing the Longmont Police Department to share in the use of “The Rook,” an armored vehicle critical incident vehicle with Douglas County.
Douglas County secured a grant that allowed for the purchase of the armored vehicle. Part of the grant stipulation was that neighboring police departments be allowed to use the vehicle when necessary.
Part of the understanding is that agencies that use the vehicle pay for costs to repair The Rook or its equipment that occur from its deployment up to $500,000. Those agencies would also be responsible for restocking the vehicle after each use.
According to Longmont Police Chief Jeff Satur, the agreement would also allow Longmont officers to train with the vehicle. If the vehicle was needed in Longmont, Douglas County would supply a driver to bring the vehicle to Longmont. Satur estimates that if a need should arise, it would take roughly two hours to arrive in the city.
“We hope that we never have to use it, but hope is not a perfect strategy,” Satur said. “It is a piece of equipment that in a very extreme life safety measure could save lives, officer lives, civilian lives, and if we need it, it is a tool that would be available to us.”
Over the past five years, there have been two instances in Longmont that have required the use of a similar vehicle. One was when a man blew up a hotel room in southwest Longmont and another a man barricaded himself in his residence after threatening his neighbors with a presumed AR-15. Police later discovered that the gun was actually a paint gun, Satur said.
“For operational planning, it would be very rare when we would consider using it,” Satur said. “It would be a very high-risk scenario where we would anticipate needing it and at this point, we have other resources.”
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