State of Maryland has a sleek, new mobile command center

The State of Maryland’s police have a new Mobile Incident Command Vehicle with a turbo-charged 600-horsepower diesel engine, a conference room, and rooftop observation deck. It is equipped with radar, satellite, and microwave communication systems — plus a microwave oven and a coffee maker to keep its operators awake.

It was unveiled in Annapolis yesterday, and state authorities say that the $1.15 million, 56-foot-long unit is the largest single-unit command vehicle in the country. “It can literally replace a police station or a state police barrack,” said Col. Thomas Hutchins, secretary of the Department of State Police. Ready for manmade disasters, or natural ones, the command vehicle can come to the rescue of local law enforcement agencies by improving communication between them. The vehicle will be stationed at the Waterloo Barrack in Jessup in Howard County. A cross between a tractor-trailer and a tour bus, it resembles a G.I. Joe supertoy.

The mobile command vehicle was built by Zimmerman, Minnesota-based Kingsley Coach and the onboard technology was put in by Chantilly, Virginia-based Bickford Industries.