Concord Police to Debut New SWAT Armored Vehicle "Mamba"

"Mamba" is a $380,000 military vehicle donated to Concord Police via a U.S. Military program. You can check it out Saturday at the Salvation Army Corps. or look for it in this year's Fourth of July parade.
By Adalto Nascimento
Patch.com
Jul. 05, 2012

Concord Police's SWAT team will make a public debut Saturday, of "Mamba," an armored vehicle awarded to the department from a U.S. Department of Defense surplus donation program.

Mamba is a bullet-proof, 11-seater "bath tub" that will provide the Special Weapons and Tactics team with a new level of protection previously unavailable as a resource in high-risk calls and operations, said Lt. David Hughes, of the Concord Police Department.

"Armored personnel vehicles provide essential physical protection and mobility for officers when they need to contain or confront armed and violent suspects," said Hughes. "The fundamental purpose of any armored vehicle is to save lives and prevent injury. This includes the lives of hostages, innocent civilians, the officers themselves, and also the life of the suspect."

[...]The vehicle, originally priced at $300,000, was manufactured in South Africa — meaning the driver sits on the right side — and served in Kuwait during unspecified U.S. Military operations.

The Concord Police Department was awarded the vehicle at no cost through the Department of Defense's Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services, which Hughes said provides donated surplus and used military equipment to law enforcement agencies at the municipal level.