Tanklike vehicle often intimidates.Byline: REBECCA NOLAN NOLAN Nascom Operational LAN The Register-Guard It looks like a tank and sounds like a logging truck, but it's neither. It's a light armored vehicle, or LAV, owned by the Oregon National Guard and loaned out to any police agency with a drug-related search warrant to serve. The 25,150-pound machine has eight wheels instead of tracks. It has no turret and no weapons of any sort. The two National Guard soldiers who operate it are unarmed. The National Guard has two LAVs, one in Salem and one in Portland. Their maximum speed is 62 mph, and they can travel to cities all over the state. The all-weather, all-terrain machines cost $630,000 each and can withstand any munitions mu·ni·tion n. War materiel, especially weapons and ammunition. Often used in the plural. tr.v. mu·ni·tioned, mu·ni·tion·ing, mu·ni·tions To supply with munitions. short of missiles or rockets. Police use the LAVs for transportation, as cover in case of gunfire and as a rescue vehicle in case an officer gets injured in·jure tr.v. in·jured, in·jur·ing, in·jures 1. To cause physical harm to; hurt. 2. To cause damage to; impair. 3. . They have room for eight passengers. "In most cases, it brings officers closer to the suspect's residence or wherever they are," said Lt. Col. Rick Williams For the baseball player, see . Richard C. Williams (October 16, 1965 - February 23, 1999) was an American professional wrestler, better known as Renegade. Career Rick Williams began wrestling in 1992 after a stint as a male stripper. , National Guard state counterdrug coordinator. "It gives law enforcement better chances of not being shot." The sight of an LAV often persuades people to surrender rather than fight, he said. "Many times when this thing shows up, suspects give up," he said. "A lot of people do think it's a tank." The machines go out 30 to 40 times a year, Williams said. If the mission isn't drug-related, the police agency must reimburse re·im·burse tr.v. re·im·bursed, re·im·burs·ing, re·im·burs·es 1. To repay (money spent); refund. 2. To pay back or compensate (another party) for money spent or losses incurred. the National Guard mileage and personnel time. Otherwise, it's free. Lane County police agencies have used the machines only a handful of times since they became available in 1996. The machines are the most popular among county sheriff's offices, which deal with rugged, rural terrain or properties with multiple buildings, Williams said. "It's really not well-suited for an urban environment," he said. They're also loaned to community groups for parades or special exhibits, he said. The National Guard operates similar loan programs in other states. Also available to Oregon law enforcement agencies A law enforcement agency (LEA) is a term used to describe any agency which enforces the law. This may be a local or state police, federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). : fixed-wing aircraft "Airplane" and "Aeroplane" redirect here. For other uses, see Airplane (disambiguation). A fixed-wing aircraft is a heavier-than-air craft where movement of the wings in relation to the aircraft is not used to generate lift. , helicopters, portable thermal equipment and an ionizer ionizer, n See electrolyzer. that can determine the presence of drugs or explosives. CAPTION(S): Oregon National Guard A light armored vehicle similar to this one was used in a drug raid of Eugene homes on Oct. 17. |
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