Biloxi PD's armored truck is ready to roll if needed

BILOXI -- Police Chief John Miller said he hopes his department's armored vehicle is something he never has to use.

"Our armored vehicle is a transport vehicle," he said. "It's something we would use to transport someone that's been injured, so we have it in case we need it."

With the recent mass shooting in San Bernardino placing communities on alert, Miller said it is a good thing to have in case a similar situation occurs locally.

"It can move into an area where there is shooting and remove someone out of there," he said. "But it's not an active combat vehicle. It does not have a gun turret. It's a transport vehicle."

The armored vehicle was donated to the police department about five years ago.

"Brink's of Biloxi gave it to us," he said. "It was an older car that they weren't using anymore."

After the car was donated, Miller said it was repainted and some minor repairs were made.

"We added some ballistics material into the insides of the walls to make it more bulletproof," he said. "It was donated to us, and we have put very little money into it."

Although the equipment has been in commission since it was donated, it has never been used in an active-shooter situation.

"This car isn't used for driving long hauls, which is probably why it was donated," Miller said. "It's a tough piece of equipment, though."

The armored vehicle is used weekly for Special Response Team training, Miller said.

"Our guys train with it," he said. "They know how to use it in case we ever need to, but we hope we never have a situation like that here."

This story was originally published December 8, 2015 at 9:49 PM with the headline "Biloxi PD's armored truck is ready to roll if needed ."