Sheriff's Humvee helps community in many ways
Courtesy photo Boundary County Sheriff’s Detective Dave McClelland with the Humvee which the BCSO acquired in 2015.
(Courtesy Photo) The Humvee is a great tool to reach out to the younger generation like this group of 4H Friday Friends.
(Courtesy Photo) The Humvee has extreme clearance, making it able to work off road and in flooding situations.
Photo by MANDI BATEMAN The BCSO Humvee will be at events, like this chili cook off held at the Boundary County Fairgrounds.
Photo by TANNA YEOUMANS Bailey and Hope Jenkins pose the BCSO Humvee during the Battle Grounds one year anniversary and law enforcement appreciation day.
Life in Boundary County is filled with adventures for outdoor enthusiasts, and many people also live the adventurous life, far removed from the city. While this can be the idyllic lifestyle, it also comes with risks. The Boundary County Sheriff’s Office has taken steps to mitigate some of those risks by adding a 2007 Humvee to its lineup.
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“That is the idea of it — to be a backcountry rescue vehicle,” said Boundary County Sheriff’s Detective Dave McClelland.
When responding to an injured man, out on the sand hills, who was located too far away from passable roads for an ambulance, the Humvee proved its worthiness. McClelland was faced with the task of driving the Humvee on trails that were designed for motorcycles and ATVs.
“I was able to put one tire up on the bank and one down on the trail, and I followed the ATVs back in there,” said McClelland. “We packaged the guy up and put him in the back of the Humvee, and then turned around and drove him back to the ambulance.”
While McClelland stressed that the Humvee is not an ambulance, the covered back has enough room for a gurney with a medic on either side.
The Humvee is also valuable for searches or to aid firefighters.
“It is just a very useful piece of equipment. I have gone through two feet of mud, uphill in it, without chains,” said McClelland. “A guy was having to use a Toyota four wheel drive that was chained up on all fours, just to get out his driveway, and we were going up a steep hill to go and check on a structure fire, and the old girl made it right on up the hill.”
One of the features of the Humvee that makes it perfect for off road, also lends itself to dealing with flooding situations.
“The ground clearance is unbelievable,” said McClelland. “If we get any flooding, it will get in there. It will ford like 30 inches, no problem.”
“It is not comfortable, it is noisy, but you can haul a lot. We have even used them for hauling sandbags, because it will go places that pickups won’t. It is a little wide, but you just have to learn to drive it differently,” said McClelland. “But with the ability to chain up all four tires and put it into four low ... it is going to go anywhere.”
Another benefit of the Humvee is as a community outreach vehicle, making appearances in parades, funerals, and other events around the county. They also wanted to reach out to the local students, but that required the military vehicle to have a new look to represent the Sheriff’s Office.
“We have been wanting to get it painted for quite a while, and finally we just came up with an idea to solicit some donations to try and get it done,” said McClelland. “We sandblasted it and we got a $1,000 donation from a gentleman who doesn’t want his name out there.”
They purchased paint and sandblasting materials, then added surplus radios and a light bar, with Sheriff’s Office volunteers doing all the work. The finishing touch was donated by CW Wraps out of Post Falls — a custom wrap with the Sheriff’s logo. With the new look, the Humvee was now ready to make appearances at local schools.
“It is kind of a cool factor and a lot of the kids will want to look at it,” said McClelland. “As a visual, a big ol’ Humvee with the Sheriff’s markings, parked at a school, is a pretty good deterrent for people pulling anything nefarious.”
The 2007 Humvee, officially known as a High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), came to the Sheriff’s Office in 2015 through a 1033 Program which transfers excess military equipment to civilian law enforcement agencies. Along with the vehicle, they also got eight brand new tires through the program.
“It saves taxpayers a lot of money,” said McClelland. “It didn’t cost the county a dime other than the fuel to get it back here.”
The 1¼ ton Humvee came to them with only 2,589 miles on it. There have been small things to be fixed, but with lots of research to find the least expensive parts, combined with the work put in by volunteers, the cost has been minimal.
“It runs really, really, really good,” said McClelland. “Just a few little things that we have to fix here and there, but a lot of our volunteers are stepping up and helping with that.”
According to McClelland, there has been some speculation as to whether or not the Humvee is armored.
“It is not armored,” said McClelland. “There is no more protection in that thing than in any other vehicle that we have got.”
For the last few years, the Humvee has evolved into a useful tool for the Boundary County Sheriff’s office, whether it is used for rescues, or to connect with the local schools and their students, or appear in parades.
“It is very handy and it didn’t cost taxpayers squat. To me that is a huge thing, because whether people know it or not, we pay taxes too,” said McClelland. “We have been very happy with it, and it is reliable.”