Johnson County sheriff intends to keep MRAP vehicle after Board of Supervisors reject Bearcat

Johnson County Sheriff Brad Kunkel intends to keep the Mine-Resistant Ambush Protection vehicle, or MRAP, after the Johnson County Board of Supervisors rejected a proposal to buy a smaller armored vehicle.

Last week, the Johnson County Board of Supervisors held an informal vote and unanimously rejected a budget proposal from Kunkel to buy a $240,000 Lenco BearCat as an alternative to the MRAP. At the same time, $223,638 in other sheriff's department budget proposals were approved by the Supervisors, including new body cameras and dash cameras, and money for community outreach. But more could be cut as the budget process continues.

Kunkel told the Press-Citizen there is no plan to return the MRAP, nor are there plans to pursue another budget request for a BearCat.

"It’s important to remember how we arrived at this point. Back in June of 2021 the board asked if there was an alternative to the MRAP and the proposal I made was to purchase a Bearcat," Kunkel said.

The MRAP, which is shared by Johnson County law enforcement agencies, has drawn public outcry for being a military-style vehicle and for its history of deployment in Iowa City's South District and during protests. The smaller BearCat was seen by some as less threatening, despite also being military-style, yet more versatile for law enforcement to use.

Previously: Johnson County sheriff requests $240,000 for BearCat armored vehicle as an MRAP alternative

MRAP remains an option as Iowa City Police borrow Linn County's BearCat

Since Kunkel does not plan on getting rid of the MRAP, the sheriff's office is likely to continue using it if needed.

Kunkel has argued in defense of his department having an armored vehicle, saying the MRAP helps protect officers in active shooter situations or in cases where law enforcement is negotiating with an armed individual they consider dangerous.

Armored vehicles, including the MRAP, have been used in the last two months in Johnson County for several purposes. The Johnson County Sheriff used the vehicle as recently as Dec. 7 when it was deployed during a standoff with a man wanted by U.S. Marshals in West Branch.

The Iowa City Police Department, which has used the Johnson County MRAP in the past, has recently begun utilizing the Linn County Sheriff's Office's Lenco BearCat.

Lee Hermiston, the ICPD public information officer, said police used Linn County’s Bearcat on Jan. 3 in north Iowa City to serve a warrant related to a robbery investigation. The Linn County Sheriff’s Office did not charge ICPD to use the vehicle.

Linn County Sheriff Brian Gardner said in an email that requests to use his department's BearCat are approved based on need, availability and frequency. He said ICPD has only used it twice to his knowledge.

Kunkel said his department would consider making a request to use Linn County's armored vehicle depending on the incident or situation.

The policies and procedures for the use of Johnson County MRAP's are outlined in a one-page document. It says the Johnson County Sheriff's Office may respond to situations that fall beyond the reasonable capabilities of the Patrol Division.

The document later states that the MRAP is intended for use during active shooter situations, barricaded situations, situations where there is an immediate need to protect life, and for training, among other things.

The sheriff, chief deputy or second deputy can approve the use of the MRAP unless an "unusual incident" rapidly develops and waiting for authorization would be impractical, according to the document.

More: Tiffin, Solon weighing different futures when it comes to law enforcement needs

The vehicle was acquired in 2014 by former Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek for free from a military-surplus program called the Law Enforcement Support Office 1033 Program.

Kunkel said that if the county had purchased the BearCat or if it ever decided to get rid of the MRAP, it would be transferred back to the federal government. The large armored vehicle is not something the county can sell for profit, according to Kunkel.

Kunkel said his department shares maintenance costs with the cities that share the vehicle. When he last spoke to the Board of Supervisors about the cost of maintenance and upkeep, his department had spent $4,000 since it was acquired.

Kunkel said the MRAP gets 5-7 miles per gallon and was filled once since July 1, at 25.38 gallons for a total of $59.90. He said he was unaware of what the gas mileage is for a Lenco BearCat.

The MRAP is about 12 feet tall, weighs approximately 52,700 pounds and has approximately 20 feet of ground clearance.

'I see both sides': Supervisors cite cost, militarization of law enforcement for their votes

Jon Green was one of two Johnson County Supervisors who were adamantly against the sheriff's proposed purchase of a Bearcat in June, which was one of Green's first meetings on the five-member board.

Green said several red flags led to his vote against the BearCat, but it ultimately was about his view that the county needs to rethink public safety, a big part of which is demilitarizing law enforcement. Green said he'd rather not have the MRAP or a BearCat in Johnson County.

"If something truly extraordinary were to happen, I have no concern whatsoever that there is plenty of militarized stuff floating around eastern Iowa that if there is an actual emergent need, we can have a fleet of armored vehicles on site within a couple of hours," he said.

Supervisor Rod Sullivan said the cost of the BearCat was the main reason he voted against.

"I see both sides, and I struggle with it. But in this case I feel like there was no struggle because it just financially doesn't work right now," he said.

Sullivan said that his view about the MRAP is irrelevant because he sees it as ultimately the sheriff's choice. He said, despite being against the acquisition of the MRAP in 2014 because the Board of Supervisors was not consulted, he understands why it is an important tool to have for officer safety.

Green said he would like the county to explore other possibilities that would make the large armored vehicle obsolete, like adding ballistic panels and glass to patrol vehicles.

Green said he would like to strengthen the policies for using the MRAP to make sure there aren't exceptions at the sheriff's discretion, and find a way to get other law enforcement agencies to agree to a legally binding document to ensure that they are exercising sufficient oversight when they use the MRAP.

"I want there to be a very limited, delineated list of circumstances that must be met before the thing gets deployed," he said.

A petition circulated online called "Scrap the MRAP" has garnered some 630 signatures as of Wednesday, calling for Johnson County to get rid of the vehicle. Some of the speakers at the Jan. 12 meeting urged the Supervisors to exercise budgetary control over the Sheriff's Department.

Kunkel said he doesn't know if the Supervisors will push his department to get rid of the MRAP.

"There's boundaries and rules in place between how elected offices function, and I'll leave it at that," he said.

Green said it is legally possible for the Supervisors to exercise budget authority over the sheriff to force his department to get rid of the MRAP, but called that a "blunt instrument" that he would rather not pursue.

"From a policy perspective that would be easy to do ... but I don't think it would be an effective way forward," he said. "I don't think there is an appetite amongst the other Supervisors to do it, either."

Sullivan said gutting the sheriff's budget would be negligent for the county given its duty to keep people safe.

"If you want to get to the point of absurdity, yes we could set the sheriff's budget at just his salary, requiring him to lay everybody off," he said.

George Shillcock is the Press-Citizen's local government and development reporter covering Iowa City and Johnson County. He can be reached at GShillcock@press-citizen.com and on Twitter @ShillcockGeorge

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Johnson County Board rejects alternate armored vehicle; MRAP stays