The Guilford County Board of Commissioners recently approved the use and purchase of a tactical vehicle for the Guilford County Sheriff's Office.
The recent purchase has some residents concerned about why it's needed. However, officials stress it has nothing to do with recent protests in Greensboro against police brutality.
The Rook tactical vehicle is designed to keep officers safe from someone who is armed and shooting at them. It's also used to reach people who are trapped in high-rise buildings in an active shooter or hostage situation.
Sheriff Danny Rogers says this vehicle will provide emotional, physical and mental security for officers.
“People look at law enforcement as: it's your job to go into these buildings, it's your job to get shot. It's your job to be killed. No, it's not. It's our job to try to make sure that we prevent those things," he said.
The sheriff's office had planned the tactical vehicle purchase for several years. It was approved earlier this week by Guilford County commissioners.
“Over the past several decades, law enforcement has changed. A lot of people have a lost respect for law enforcement,” Rogers said. “We have to make sure that we are an organization or agency that is prepared to be able to combat any type of situation that we may come up against.”
Rogers expects to receive the vehicle within the next month.