Hamilton police plan to spend $530K on new armoured rescue vehicle in 2031

The Hamilton Police Services Board has approved the service's expected capital expenditures over the next decade — including $530,000 for a new armoured rescue vehicle in 2031.

It will replace the current vehicle but will cost almost twice as much.

The truck was on a list of items the service expects to have to spend money on from 2024 to 2033. The police service said the city asked for the list, which was part of the police board's Sept. 28 board meeting.

When the current armoured rescue vehicle debuted in 2013, its $279,000 price tag spurred debate about whether the vehicle was a good use of taxpayer dollars.

The 15,000-pound vehicle is used by Hamilton Police Service's (HPS) emergency response unit to get people out of extreme situations, protect officers from gunfire, help in off-road situations, move obstacles and communicate to people using a speaker system.

It can also be used for training and has appeared at community events.

HPS says the vehicle's life expectancy is roughly 15 years and the service will continue to maintain it but will replace the truck "once it is no longer economical to extend the service life."

Current truck has travelled 20,000 km

HPS previously said officers drive the truck an average of 2,000 kilometres per year, which means the vehicle has travelled roughly 20,000 kilometres in ten years.

"It doesn't get driven too far, generally from where it's kept, to a scene, and back … it's not a vehicle we would patrol in," Staff Sgt. Darren Murphy previously told CBC Hamilton.

The service also spent $60,490 on parts and labour to maintain the vehicle, including an engine replacement.

But HPS refuses to detail what has happened in those 20,000 kilometres, saying it doesn't track the data and has no plans to do so in the future. That means it's not clear how often the vehicle has been used for promotion or how often to respond to extreme situations.

WATCH: Police respond after two people were shot to death in Hamilton:

Police respond after two people were shot to death in Hamilton

2 years ago

Duration 0:49

The special investigations unit is investigating after they say a man was killed during "an exchange of gunfire" with Hamilton police on Saturday May, 27, 2023. The man, police say, was suspected of killing a man and a woman who were renters in an east Hamilton home.

The truck was used this year when officers responded to an hours-long stand-off with an armed man, a landlord who killed his two tenants.

The vehicle shielded officers from bullets and allowed them to fire the shot that killed the landlord and ended the confrontation.

Councillor wanted more scrutiny on spending asks

Most of the other expected expenditures are building upgrades.

Other future vehicle and equipment plans include:

• A spending ask of $1 million in 2033 for a marine vehicle that can save people in the water, offer access to a helicopter and act as a command post, among other things. It's called the "Interceptor" and would replace the current one purchased in 2019.

• A spending ask of $350,000 for another replacement marine vessel which can wade shallow water and rescue people. It's called a rigid hull inflatable boat and would replace one bought in 2015.

• A spending ask of $190,000 in 2024 for a prisoner escort vehicle, replacing the current one. Inmates have previously complained about the lack of working air conditioning in the van.

Ward 2 Coun. Cameron Kroetsch, who sits on the police board, voted against supporting the list.

He said that during the Sept. 28 meeting, he wanted to see the board form a budget subcommittee and have the subcommittee review the list.

In the end, board chair Pat Mandy, vice-chair Fred Bennink and board member Robert Elms voted in support of the planned spending.

Mayor Andrea Horwath was absent and Mel Athulathmudali is no longer on the board.