Barney Fife is alive and well and living in California

Never heard of Yreka, California, population 7765? Well, according to local authorities they have don't have a lot of shootings but there have been many at the national level so as not to be out gunned by the local desperadoes the city fathers procured this nifty armored vehicle. Clever!

It's too bad the writers at the old Andy Griffith never though of a story line like this. Put Barney in charge of law enforcement in Mayberry while Andy Taylor is on vacation and when he comes back Barney and Floyd the barber have bought a high tech tank that gets 9 miles per gallon and no one knows how to work on. Yreka Police Chief Brian Bowles sound like the perfect Barney. “This will be a very important resource. I want my officers to have the best equipment possible to effectively do their jobs and keep the residents of Yreka safe.”
The 43,500-pound armored MRAP cost the federal government $658,000 to build in 2008, said Bowles. According to the vehicle’s documentation, it seats six as well as a gunner. It is equipped to plow through fire, and its airtight features allow for safe transport during chemical warfare. ( We do have a lot of chemical warfare in California) There are no weapons mounted on the MRAP.
“To my knowledge, there are no other vehicles like this in Siskiyou County,” commented Bowles. You don't say?