Chesapeake OKs $1.2 million for new SWAT vehicle

Chesapeake City Council recently approved $1.24 million for a new police SWAT vehicle.

The city acquired its current SWAT vehicle in 2009. It was due for replacement in 2019 but remains in use, despite increasing mechanical failures and down time, police spokesperson Leo C. Kosinski wrote in an email.

Following council’s unanimous vote, the department plans to order the new vehicle, which has an 18-month lead time, at the end of November.

Police said the truck’s cost aligns with the current market for specialty law enforcement vehicles.

“The purchase of a new SWAT truck is essential to the safety of our community,” the police department said in a statement. “SWAT activations cover a wide variety of high-risk situations to include armed barricaded persons, hostage rescue, and search and rescue. Many of the SWAT activations center around violent offenders who pose a significant danger to the community.”

Maryland-based TechOps Specialty Vehicles will build the new truck to the department’s specifications. It will be built on a Freightliner truck chassis with an aluminum body. The vehicle will accommodate a larger tactical operations center and provide exterior access for storage, a detail officials said will increase the SWAT team’s operational effectiveness and efficiency.

Additionally, the vehicle will have a dedicated audio and visual interface to technologies such as body cameras and unmanned aerial systems.

“When the SWAT team does not have a properly functioning SWAT truck, their operational preparedness and readiness are significantly reduced,” the police department said. Additionally, the old truck’s cost of operation is now four times more than when the vehicle was first acquired.

Chesapeake’s SWAT vehicle is used up to 10 times a month between activations, training and demonstrations, officials said.

In a memo to council explaining the funding request, Police Chief Mark Solesky said if the SWAT truck is down, the team must move its tactical equipment to a passenger van, “resulting in the disorganization of needed resources.”

Officials plan to retire the old SWAT vehicle when the new truck is put into service.

https://www.dailypress.com/2025/11/03/chesapeake-swat-vehicle/