Costa Mesa police unveil new mobile command vehicle after years of planning
Costa Mesa police on Tuesday unveiled the newest addition to its fleet — a state-of-the art mobile command vehicle that will provide a center for operational response during natural disasters, standoff situations and other incidents, both planned and unforeseen.
At a cost of $1.1 million, which the city has primarily financed through a lease-to-own agreement, the command center on wheels may be deployed when officers need to respond immediately to events such as major protests and demonstrations, multiple vehicle collisions or SWAT operations.
More commonly, it’s likely to be seen at DUI checkpoints or community gatherings like National Night Out, where residents can get a look at technology that allows operators to communicate with dispatch during an on-scene investigation, observe live drone feeds and process paperwork after an arrest has been made.
“It’s really impressive,” Costa Mesa Police Department spokeswoman Roxi Fyad said Thursday. “The mobile command vehicle can go from an open space to a residential area. And you can hold meetings inside — it’s literally a location that you can function out of.”
Fyad said department leaders and city staff had been in talks about purchasing a new vehicle for the last several years but had to stick a pin in the conversation when the pandemic hit.
“After things started reopening, we started back up again,” she said Thursday. “It’s been a really long and ongoing process.”
Mayor John Stephens, who toured the new vehicle on Tuesday outside City Hall, called the new vehicle a vast improvement over its predecessor, which served the department in times of need, but was a bit lacking in amenities.
“It was literally a Winnebago, the quality of which belongs in the annual demolition derby — that’s how bad it was,” Stephens quipped Wednesday.
Despite its aging condition, Fyad said the recreational vehicle served the department well during its long tenure and was mobilized during a standoff last October, when a suspect shot at state Department of Justice officers attempting to serve a warrant.
It also made an appearance at South Coast Plaza in June 2020, when demonstrators turned out at South Coast Plaza in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.
“It was well utilized for many, many years and served its purpose,” Fyad said.
Manufactured by Wisconsin-based custom specialty vehicle maker LDV, the new unit was delivered to California in October. Since then, department staff have been setting up internal mechanisms, ensuring all data connections are functioning and features have been tailored to meet CMPD’s needs.
The new mobile command unit made its public debut Tuesday outside Costa Mesa City Hall prior to a council meeting, allowing officials and members of the public to get an up-close look at a wish list item several years in the making.
Costa Mesa Police Chief Ron Lawrence said in a statement Thursday the department was excited to have received the state-of-the-art vehicle.
“This new mobile command vehicle will not only be useful for response to critical incidents and major emergencies but will also be a valuable asset for use at DUI checkpoints and community events to serve as a command post to help manage calls such as lost children or community outreach at large gatherings,” he said.
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