The Mine Resistant Ambush Protect (MRAP) Vehicle as it arrived at the George T. Baker Aviation School in its original desert paint scheme to be re-painted in an overall flat, tactical black paint scheme
Experience Shooting Solutions (ES2) Founder Benny Benitez sits inside the Miami Gardens Police (MRAP) vehicle. The Miami Gardens Police Department acquired their (MRAP) via the U.S. Government 1033 Program. The 1033 Program allows the U.S. Government to sells their surplus military equipment to american, civilian law enforcement agencies and police departments
The (MRAP) will undergo a entire exterior paint scheme as well as an interior modification to the crew seating station. The Students at the George T. Baker School shall removed the individual, rear crew seats and fabricate a bench style length seating on either side of the crew interior compartment
In our research and effort to report on this issue and in speaking to various individuals, we understand that under the U.S. Government 1033 program, the Miami Gardens Police Department acquired their (MRAP) for a fee of about US$2,000.00. Clearly, you could see the actual unit price of US$658,000.00 that the American tax payer paid for the unit when initially purchased for the benefit of the Department of Defense (DoD)
A front view of the (MRAP) with its new coat of tactical black color scheme as ordered by the Miami Gardens Police Department. The new black color scheme give it a psychological intimidating look when operating within the streets of Miami Gardens
Aside of the psychological intimidating look that the new paint scheme give the (MRAP) the practicality of selecting the choice of color of flat black has to be questioned when operating in a hot and sunny environment such as in South Florida. A more practical operating color for the benefit of (MRAP) not heating up in the sunny South Florida environment would have been and overall white paint scheme
The finished product as testament to the workmanship of the students at the George T. Baker Aviation School and the leadership and experience of their instructor in guiding and teaching the students the fundamentals of industrial painting
Miami, Florida 2nd October to 7th November 2013: With about 11,000 (MRAP's) in Afghanistan, it is far too expensive for the U.S. Government to bring them all back to the States. But about 8,000 are or so (MRAP's) have found their way back home. Under the the U.S. Government 1033 program, Uncle Sam is making them available to U.S. civilian law enforcement agencies (i.e. Police Departments).
Under this program, the Miami-Garden Police Department has acquired their first Mine Resistant Ambush (MRAP) vehicle to support their policing operation within their jurisdiction of Miami Gardens. The (MRAP) appears to be the first of such type tactical, amour vehicle to operate within South Florida.
Produced by Oshkosh Defense, the vehicle offers a superior level of protection to its crew from the various level of amour which surrounds its frame. The (MRAP) has a rear ramp entry door for troop deployment as well as a top gun turret position. The vehicle is powered by a Cumming diesel, two battery powered engine, designed with an independent suspension for operating in tough and grueling terrain, which shall not be an operational problem while operating on the paved streets of Miami Gardens.
But we here at ES2 ponder the question as why police department, such as Miami Gardens need such an overpowering military grade vehicle to patrol the civilian street of our U.S. cities?
