It's my thinking that this .223 pump rifle is intended as a direct replacement for the 870 shotguns which ride in many thousands of police vehicles. "Based on the 870" is an easy way of pre-disposing cops and cop bureaucrats toward a "familiar" design, and will greatly reduce their sales resistance, I'm sure. Times are changing, and more rifles are finding homes in police cars. Keeping the shotgun and adding a rifle which works just about exactly the same also would make good sense, and expand the users' options.
This Remington also avoids all the negative connotations of equipping the local fuzz with (gasp) "'assault rifles/ machineguns/maiming machines" while still giving the cops relatively-good firepower and mag capacity with the SAME ammunition capabilities as the evil black rifles.
From that standpoint, I believe the rifle makes a lot of sense. However, I don't see why it should cost so much. It will doubtless sell for a LOT less on a law-enforcement purchase order.