Yolo County Board of Supervisors and Sheriff Prieto:

I vote NO on the acceptance of an MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicle for the Yolo County Sheriffs Department for these reasons:

1.  Acquiring military-grade vehicles encourages unnecessary militarization of the police and could lead to dangerous consequences for civilians and law enforcement agents alike, including increased risk of violence, property destruction and undermined individual liberties.

2.  There is no assurance on how this vehicle will be used. At UC Davis the police had military-grade pepper spray and so that is what they used in a civil disobedience confrontation on campus.

3.  This vehicle is not free. There are costs associated with upkeep and training.

4.  This would be the third such vehicle available to law enforcement in Yolo County. The Sheriff already shares Woodland PD's MRAP via the join S.W.A.T. team.

I value the lives of the officers in the department and I support non-militarized solutions that keep both our officers and our community safe.

I urge you to vote No on the MRAP at the meeting on April 25th, 2017