The Columbus SWAT team unveiled two new emergency response vehicles on Tuesday.
The department purchased the two vehicles thanks to a $500,000 grant from the Department of Homeland Security.
Officials said that the new mobile command center will be able to carry all of the team's equipment, including air tanks and bio-hazard protective gear.
"Sept. 11 showed us that local police, local fire have to be your first responders to a lot of these incidents, and you need the equipment to be able to do that response and these two pieces of equipment will get us there," said SWAT Cmdr. Mike Woods.
A new hostage negotiator command center is equipped with multiple phone lines and computers, making it possible for officers to research a suspect even as they're attempting to negotiate a peaceful surrender.
"Now hostage negotiators have the capability to send an email or fax directly to the phone company to limit the use of a suspect's phone," Woods said.
The unit reserved for hostage negotiators provides space for translators to account for the growing diversity and language barriers in Columbus.
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