By: Gena Johnson | West Bloomfield Beacon | Published October 9, 2025
WEST BLOOMFIELD — The West Bloomfield Police Department recently received its new customized 2025 Roshel Senator, a tactical armored vehicle built especially for its use.
The vehicle is made exclusively for military and police purposes. This unit has been customized with police lights, cameras that have a 360-degree field of view, and audio including a public address system that allows for calling out to missing people or suspects. A ram can also be applied to the front of the vehicle to knock down barricades.
These features can all be operated from within the vehicle, keeping law enforcement safe.
In addition, the vehicle features a winch that can pull up to 18,000 pounds, allowing it to easily remove obstacles such as fallen trees blocking the road, according to Sgt. Jeffrey Fletemier, commander of the WBPD Special Response Team, the group that helped design the vehicle and oversees its operation.
“The Roshel Senator is designed for urban/suburban environments like West Bloomfield,” said West Bloomfield Police Chief Dale Young. “The Senator is a non-weaponized armored vehicle that can withstand a variety of bullet calibers being shot at it.
Compared to the MRAP, an armored vehicle the department has had since 2014, the new Senator has been described as a smooth ride with the turn flexibility of a pickup truck.
“I’ve been in (the Senator) and witnessed some of our drivers,” Fletemier said. “It is very easy to drive. They say you can turn on a dime.”
In addition, the vehicle is equipped with bulletproof glass and special wheels that allow the vehicle to continue driving after the tire have been punctured.
The vehicle has 10 lockable gun portals to shoot from inside the vehicle — four on each side and two in the back. The doors have military-grade door stoppers to prevent them from closing and keep them in a fixed position.
The vehicle cost $400,000. The West Bloomfield Board of Trustees voted unanimously to approve the appropriation of forfeiture funds for the purchase.
Forfeiture funds are only available to police and are typically used for capital investment projects to pay for one-time enhancements, according to Allison Broihier, the budget and pension manager for West Bloomfield Township.
“The vehicle was purchased utilizing federal forfeiture funds, which were obtained through assets seized by law enforcement to deprive criminals of ill-obtained gains,” added Debbie Binder, the township clerk and a board trustee.
“The federal Government restricts the use of these funds,” she said. “The purchase of the Roshel Senator complies with all federal restrictions. We are fortunate that these funds were available to assist with the purchase of this valuable asset to protect our community.”
According to police, this kind of vehicle is needed in the township.
“A community like West Bloomfield needs it for the public safety of our community,” Fletemier said.
He described such a situation.
“Our team was requested to make entry into a residence for a subject who was wanted by the police and known to carry and have weapons in his residence,” said the sergeant. “The vehicle was on the scene. If they were to shoot at the vehicle, we would be safe inside the vehicle.”
In situations where police need to pull people out of a building, the armored truck can be strategically placed to take people to safety, Fletemier said.
The WBPD also partners with other law enforcement agencies including the Novi Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigations, where the Senator can also assist.
“The purchase of this specialized vehicle is a significant investment in the safety of our community and the officers during high-risk events,” Young said.
Officials say that the community has already embraced the new vehicle.
“Everybody loves it, from the adults, teens and little kids (that) have been inside it,” Fletemier said.
The Senator has appeared at family fun nights, football games and the West Bloomfield Fire Department’s open house. Police want the community to be familiar with the vehicle and not afraid of it, Fletemier said.
The Senator is expected to have at least a 20-year life span. The vehicle can be serviced at local Ford dealerships. As for the old MRAP, it will find new life at another police department.