New Walnut Creek Police Armored Vehicle Purchase Approved

WALNUT CREEK, CA —Walnut Creek is buying a new response vehicle for its bomb squad.

The city council Tuesday night approved the necessary $267,543 for the truck, a modified 2022 Ford F-550, weighing 19,500 pounds and powered by a 6.7 liter, V8 power stroke turbo-charged diesel engine.

The city is buying the armored truck from Florida-based Emergency Vehicles Inc., and will be reimbursed through a Homeland Security Grant to the police department. Any purchases over $85,000 have to be approved by the council.

The grant is actually $303,804, which will allow the department to buy advanced electronic diagnostic equipment, explosive safety equipment, and specialized training.

Walnut Creek has the only bomb squad in Contra Costa County and provides investigation and disposal of explosive devices all over the region. A city staff report said the new vehicle would "allow the bomb squad to have two equally capable response vehicles, to improve response time and provide redundancy in the event a vehicle become inoperable."

The report also says the city will establish a fund for the future replacement of the vehicle, with the amount based on the purchase price and prorated over its expected life. Ongoing cost of fuel and maintenance for the truck is estimated to be $1,500 annually.

Copyright © 2021 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.