Posted on 05/18/2018 8:41:30 PM PDT by BBell
PITTSFIELD, Mass. – You may not know what a Bearcat is but you’ve probably seen them, deployed by SWAT and tactical teams responding to violent protests and barricade situations, or to save people trapped in hurricanes, floods and mudslides.
Police departments nationwide have been stocking up on the Armored Incident Response & Rescue Vehicles, taking advantage of a federal program enacted in the 90s allowing law enforcement access to military-grade gear.
The program was temporarily suspended by President Obama in 2015 but reinstated by President Trump last year. Mr. Trump signed an executive order lifting the ban on military gear to police departments. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said at the time that the restart would "send a strong message that we will not allow criminal activity, violence and lawlessness to become a new normal."
The Bearcat is built by LenCo Armored Vehicles of Pittsfield Massachusetts, which just spent $5 million to expand production of their highly sought after all-terrain beast, purchasing and refurbishing the 70,000-square-foot building adjacent to their original factory to eventually double the output of product.
LenCo has built and sold nearly 6,000 BearCats to local, state and federal law enforcement agencies and 40 foreign governments. The trucks, built on a shortened Ford F-550 chassis, weigh roughly nine tons, fabricated from flat sheets of American-made bulletproof steel and bulletproof glass. The CEO of LenCo, Len Light, says it is “necessary to give these departments the best tools they need to protect themselves in life-threatening situations.”
Critics of the vehicles call the militarization of police forces a threat to local law enforcement and community partnerships.
Mathew Feeney of the Cato Institute insists “It’s very important local communities don’t view their police department as an occupying force,” saying “unfortunately, the militarization of the police really does blur that distinction.”
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Could be handy in BLM riots.
not a fan of this, because sooner or later, those vehicles will be coming for us
The “public” can buy armored vehicles if they have deep enough pockets. What need is there? There are You Tube videos on how to easily sabotage the subject of this thread with inexpensive materials. Both the US and USSR learned in Afghanistan that even 7th Century tribes can keep a modern army busy, much less modern militias with good weapons.
The maintenance expense of these vehicles is outrageous - the only organizations who can afford this are large well-developed (and taxed) metropolitan areas, although I imagine a lot of the expense is paid for by federal grants …
Easily sabotaged. That is why you need infantry to protect it while it’s protecting the infantry....
Those could be broken up easily without the need for armored vehicles. Just break out the rubber rounds. That’ll take the riot right out of them quickly.
Available as a dually as well.
Cause everyone knows peace officers need military grade armored vehicles, machine guns, grenade launchers, and bayonets.
It’s funny, (like a clown?), that these are Manufactured in a State where the Second Amendment is all but ignored as part of our God Given Constitutional Rights.
I’m sure the Amendment that requires the Civilian Police to be Armed like an Army Battalion is in there though...
Being based on an F-550 chassis I would think the maintenance would be not much more than a heavy duty truck. A really heavy duty truck.
You have to keep the plebs in line.
Ok, if they are trying to roll up on an improvised barricade situation these vehicles will no doubt be great. But if they go after a prepared adversary, these things are relatively easy to thwart.
https://www.steynonline.com/6406/bearcat-season-in-new-hampshire
Mark Steyn went after small New Hampshire towns weaponizing with those...
Exercise is hard but a lot of cops harbor SEAL fantasies.
Bayonets are a good alternative to shooting people. Most folks don’t wanna get poked.
Great for breaking up drug houses....or getting close to armed barricaded idjuts...just their presence could deter a violent mob....especially after your team just won a championship...not good for goin after kids selling lemonade without a license
All this crap is gonna be aimed at us. All the cameras around your city, are all going to be hunting us down.
lots of ops are ex military.
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