On the same day the City of Bridgeport and its various emergency services units unveiled its new Mobile Command Unit to the public and to members of City Council Monday, the possibility arose – albeit a very remote one at best – that it could be used to assist in the event of a local attack. Police Chief John Walker said the Mobile Command Unit would adequately facilitate the needs of emergency services in the event of an attack on the area.

 

While there are no signs any attack is coming this way, national media outlets have reported that terror-related retaliation attacks on the U.S. homeland following the United States’ bombing of terrorist targets in the Middle East that begun Monday are a possibility. In the unfortunate event something would happen, the mobile command unit would be pressed into action.

 

“We’re pretty fortunate with how the unit is set up because it can be for a minute or large-scale incident,” said Walker. “In the event something major would happen, the biggest advantage if that we have immediate capability of communicating with other agencies throughout the state.”

 

The new unit, which City Manager Kim Haws said the city took possession of a little more than a week ago, has the ability to utilize satellite phones if cell phone capability is lost. Various other forms of communication, including video, are also available and the unit – as its name suggests – can be moved to safe and convenient locations.

 

“There are just so many features that can be utilized in an emergency. For instance, if we needed to show someone a situation that was taking place we can send video from the unit back to any number of locations, such as city hall,” said Walker. “It’s literally a lifeline that we can use.”

 

Walker said his department receives daily reports from various agencies on threats and conditions; and today was no different. He said information on the current status of security locally and nationwide have come to the department.

 

“We get information regarding the current situation, or for that matter any situation, through emails and other forms on the federal and state level,” said Walker. “We get them frequently.”

 

Walker said most of his officers have already had exposure to the new unit. As far as actual training in the police department, Walker and Deputy Chief Randy Hartley, the lieutenants and others have received training. Additional training is being scheduled for staff and members of Bridgeport’s VIPS (Volunteers in Police Service) who assist the police on several fronts. Bridgeport Fire Chief Robert Securro and his staff are also actively involved with the unit and are also training on it.

 

The unit was promoted as a tool to be used by more than on agency in the city. The Bridgeport Police and Fire Departments will likely be the agencies that will utilize it the most.

 

“This is one of those things you don’t realize how valuable it is until it’s needed. You could use this on Interstate 79 at an accident scene or keep it in an area running for days on end if necessary,” Walker said. “You would hope to never need to use the equipment or any of our equipment because that means there’s a situation involving someone’s life or someone’s property that we are tasked with protecting, but the reality is that we’ll need this.”

 

The unit cost a little more than $200,000, Walker said. A grant of $100,000 helped cover a large portion of those costs.

 

Editor's Note: Photo shows the exterior of the new unit above and some of the communication equipment near the rear of the vehicle below.