Morrisville State auto body students transform retired military Humvee for University Police

Morrisville State auto body technology students recently transformed a retired military Humvee for the college's New York State University Police (UP) Department.



Students in Gil Wistrup's Unibody Repair and Refinishing lab slicked the once camouflaged rig with a coat of white paint. Soon it will be detailed with lights and decals to match the college's fleet of UP vehicles.



“This was a unique project for us because it is made of aluminum and fiberglass,” Wistrup said. “We had to apply prep techniques that are different from a typical collision repair job.”



The 1998 special purpose vehicle was secured at no cost through a federal surplus program for law enforcement agencies.



It has already been utilized by Morrisville State University Police to assist Oneida City Police with flood rescue efforts in the city of Oneida this past summer.



According to Morrisville State University Police Chief Rick D'Alessandro, the Humvee will be utilized as a special purpose vehicle on and off-campus to assist in criminal investigations, rescues, and to assist other agencies.



Morrisville State offers bachelor's degrees in automotive technology and automotive technology management and associate degrees in automotive technology and auto body technology.



The college's facilities include an award-winning Automotive Technology Building with nine state-of-the art laboratories and a showroom, as well as an Auto Body Building with a lab housing all of the necessary modern equipment to repair and refinish a collision-damaged vehicle in an environmentally safe manor using current water-based finishes.