Mayor John Hamilton confirmed in a press release Thursday the city will proceed with its original decision to purchase a Lenco BearCat G2 armored truck.
Bloomington confirmed the purchase in a 14-page document.
The decision came after more than a month of protest beginning Feb. 6 when Bloomington Police Department Chief Mike Diekhoff mentioned the truck at a press conference.
The release included an analysis of the city's review on the truck’s purchase. The first question addressed was whether Bloomington needs a replacement armored truck.
“This is a foundational, and fair, question,” the release read. “It is not simple to answer.”
Hamilton’s statement said the city reviewed the purchase with a clean slate after the protests began.
“At no point in this review was the potential cost of terminating the purchase order/contract a relevant factor,” the release read.
The document explains how the decision was made after five public meetings, numerous informal meetings and over 500 individual comments.
This story will be updated.
