LAPD UNVEILS LATEST TOOL IN WAR AGAINST CAR BOMBS.

Byline: Patrick McGreevy Daily News Staff Writer

Looking like something Arnold Schwarzenegger might use in a science fiction movie, an armor-plated, remote-control forklift was unveiled Friday by the Los Angeles Police Department as its latest tool to deal with car bombs.

Put together by city General Services Department mechanics from salvage parts, the forklift is plated with one-inch-thick armor and is capable of lifting and moving vehicles of up to 7 tons by remote control from a quarter-mile away, said police Officer Ralph Morten, a member of the LAPD's bomb squad.

The forklift delivered last week to the LAPD is expected to be able to lift many cars without triggering anti-disturbance switches on bombs, but even if such devices are triggered, the remote-control aspect means officers would not be injured.

"Then we'll have a mangled forklift instead of a dead bomb technician," said Morten, who helped develop the equipment.

City Councilwoman Laura Chick said during a City Hall ceremony Friday that the first-of-it's-kind forklift already has caught the attention of other law enforcement agencies, especially given the approach of the one-year anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing.