Originally Posted by
AirbornePathogen
Probably got this one from the Army on the cheap. Springs PD did the same thing when they got their (now grounded) helicopters, bought 2 OH-58s from the Army for next to nothing, comparatively. The M113 no doubt cost a lot less than say, a Lenco Bearcat, which a lot of SWAT teams use, and costs around a quarter million bucks from what I could find on the Web. I guess they figured a few grand for a surplus M113 beat a quarter million of the taxpayers' money. And as CrufflerSteve said, the feds may well have picked up the tab anyway. Plus, the tracked vehicle is far less sensitive to terrain and weather than a wheeled vehicle. And what would they use it for? Providing cover for emergency medical treatment in a threat area (think an active shooter scenario, for one), hostage rescue in the same situation... I can think of at least ten uses that a PD or SO's tac team would have for it.