PORT ANGELES — Clallam County Commissioners are expected to approve the purchase of a $382,000 Sentinel Armored Rescue Vehicle (ARV) for the Sheriff’s Office during their meeting Tuesday. The vehicle, funded through drug forfeiture money through the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team (OPNET), will enhance regional emergency response capabilities.

Sheriff Brian King says the ARV will address natural disasters, high-risk law enforcement situations, and medical rescues.

“In many ways it looks much like an armored ambulance,” said King. “It’s got that ambulance/SUV kind of appearance, it can be a rescue vehicle in actually transporting patients, it can carry up to 12 people in any of its movements. We’ve needed this type of asset that we borrowed for the past two years, 26 times from neighboring jurisdictions.”

The Sentinel ARV offers ballistic and blast-proof protection, four-wheel drive for rugged terrain, and seating for up to 12 responders or 20 evacuees. It features tools such as remote-controlled spotlights, a hydraulic breaching ram, and a crisis negotiation intercom, making it suitable for floods, snowstorms, and barricaded incidents.

Jefferson County Sheriff Joe Nole joined King on Monday in urging commissioners to approve the purchase.

“In the modern armored vehicle, that doesn’t look so military, I think is a plus. It does have a lot of capabilities that ours doesn’t. We’re all pretty much alone out here on the peninsula and when it comes to taking care of our people and having two armored vehicles would be a plus,” said Nole.

If approved, the ARV is expected to arrive within three months, with training for law enforcement and emergency responders to follow. King says it will be strategically stationed to improve collaboration and preparedness across Clallam, Jefferson, and Kitsap counties.