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Citrus County vision: one mean, crime-fighting machine

When finished, this tanklike monster will include side gun ports and a roof-mounted machine gun turret.

By JOHN FRANK
Published September 30, 2006

LECANTO - The Citrus County sheriff's newest vehicle is like nothing you've seen on the road before.

It's big. It's bad. It looks mean. And that's just the way the Sheriff's Office wants it.

Meet the M706 V100 Commando, a 7-ton armored vehicle built in 1969 primarily for use in Vietnam on military reconnaissance trips, convoy escorts, riot control and as a personnel carrier.

Decommissioned by the U.S. Army long ago, the armored vehicle was purchased by the Citrus County Sheriff's Office from federal government surplus for $2,000 in April 2004.

Deputies intend to use it for emergency situations with armed and barricaded suspects, hurricane response and possibly a holiday parade or two.

"Just the look of it alone has enough intimidation factor," Mike Snider, the sheriff's fleet maintenance supervisor, said of the vehicle's sharp-angled body shape.

"You see it and think, 'Hey, we aren't messing around.' "

For the last couple years, the vehicle has been in the garage getting a makeover from Snider and his crew as time allows.

Daily maintenance needs have kept the project on the back burner, but Snider hopes to have the approximately $20,000 upgrades finished by year's end.

"It gets as close as possible and still keeps us safe," Snider said. "It will be a useful tool. It's going to serve a purpose that's never going away."

Similar vehicles are growing in popularity among area law enforcement agencies. And they are proving useful, too.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office recently bought an even bigger, more specialized armored vehicle for $337,000, and Tampa police own a 12-ton refurbished military surplus personnel carrier.

Earlier this week, the Volusia County sheriff used a battering ram of the county's armored vehicle to break a hole in the house of a gunman who fired at police during a standoff.

While Citrus County crime rates are much lower than those bigger counties, local law enforcement officials can recall a number of times in recent years when a vehicle like this would be helpful: namely, a violent chase of a stolen semitrailer truck in August 2003 that ended on State Road 44.

Still, the office's purchase of big-ticket equipment, such as a new helicopter earlier this year, has drawn the ire of a number of taxpayers. But officials said the project's relatively minimal cost will deflect any flak from the public.

The department kept upgrade costs low because it did the work in-house. But working with a unique vehicle wasn't easy for Snider's team. It didn't work when they bought it, and the electrical system was different from the one used in the other vehicles.

"There is no book to say how to convert a V100 to a police car," Snider said. "You learn as you go."

The changes include replacing the small windows, roof-mounted machine gun turret and side gun ports. Snider is working with the sheriff's emergency response team to figure out what features to add to make it more police-friendly.

So far, he has expanded the window size but kept the car's ballistic strength with new windows that can deflect a .50-caliber bullet.

"It is no longer blazing through the desert," said Snider, who used the Internet to research what other departments did with similar vehicles. "We need to drive through a neighborhood, so we need to see where we are going."

He also plans to make the belly of the vehicle more comfortable by adding a padded bench. Luxuries like air conditioning and electronic gadgets could be next.

In the meantime, the big question is what to call the beast. It's affectionately known by the military as "Duck" because it can float and travel by water.

The Marion County Sheriff's Office calls its armored vehicle "The Peacekeeper."

Snider likes calling the Citrus version "The Thang," a Southern slant on the Fantastic Four comic book character "The Thing."

But he's open to other suggestions.

John Frank can be reached at jfrank@sptimes.com or 860-7312.

"Just the look of it alone has enough intimidation factor. You see it and think, 'Hey, we aren't messing around.' "

Mike Snider, the Citrus County Sheriff's Office fleet maintenance superviser.

Heavy duty specs

Manufacturer: Cadillac Gage

Size: 18 feet long by 9 feet tall

Weight: 7 tons

Engine: 215 horsepower, 361-cubic-inch Chrysler V8

Gas mileage: 10 to 15 miles per gallon

Top speed: 62 mph

Tires: 4 feet high, run flat tires that are 14 inches wide

Windows: 1½-inch thick bullet-proof glass

[Last modified September 29, 2006, 23:18:16]