The County Sheriff’s Department debuted a new 16,000-pound armored vehicle last month, complete with seven gun ports and a host of other features designed for police and rescue work.
County officials are calling it “a new weapon in the war to keep our communities safer.” Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise and Hudson County Sheriff Joe Cassidy announced the acquisition of what is called a Ballistic Engineered Armored Response Vehicle (BEAR).
“The BEAR gives law enforcement in Hudson County a great platform to perform rescues in a lethal environment,” Cassidy said. “We’re honored to take charge of such a valuable tool for regional law enforcement. This vehicle is the first of its kind to be deployed in New Jersey, and we take our role in its introduction very seriously.”
The vehicle cost about $280,000 and was purchased using Homeland Security funds received through our County Office of Emergency Management.
“For security reasons, we cannot elaborate on the specifications of our vehicle other than it is not your typical armored bank truck,” said County Spokesperson Jim Kennelly. “It is over 15 tons of high-tech ballistic steel that offers wrap-around explosive and projectile protection. Our vehicle is capable of withstanding just about anything up to a low-yield nuclear weapon.”
This vehicle is one of the most popular new weapons in urban police and rescue, and has become an industry standard for first responder and military units. The vehicle is the first of its kind in New Jersey, and is also currently in use by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department as well as the United States Air Force.
Built by Lenco Armored Vehicles of Pittsfield, Mass., the vehicle is based on Ford’s F-550 commercial truck. It includes a turret and 1.5-inch thick steel armor.
With a 250-horsepower Caterpillar engine, four-wheel drive and a front end capable of breaching concrete walls and ramming vehicles from its path, the Bear can go almost anywhere in nearly any terrain in or around the city. Can go anywhere
“I believe we now feel less vulnerable knowing we have such a fantastic tool available for deployment,” said Captain Tommy Willis of the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office will oversee the deployment and maintenance of the BEAR in facilities located in Jersey City. Captain Willis is the point person for the unit overseeing the BEAR.
The vehicle is sizeable enough to carry 12-fully equipped Special Weapons And Tactics officers inside and can be used in any number of situations such as an armed confrontation, a barricaded suspect, or hostage crisis.
“The BEAR can be utilized by our team to support narcotics teams in dealing with high-risk search and arrest warrants, and can be used in natural disasters as well,” Kennelly said.
But unlike armored vehicles of the past, the Bear handles better than most tanks, but rather makes use of more agile technology that allows it to be – in the words of some experts – nimble.
“The vehicle is also equipped with anti-terrorism detection equipment, which again for security reasons cannot be discussed in detail,” Kennelly said, noting also that in an emergency situation as many as 25 adults or 35 children can be packed into the BEAR in the event they had to extricate people from a school or shopping mall trapped by gunfire.
“Not only is it a mechanism to extricate people, during negotiations with armed suspects it can be a delivery system for items such as food and phones,” he said. “Our team’s mission is to support and protect other first responders (EOD/Fire/Hazmat/EMS) and to rescue community members, law enforcement and other first responders from unfolding threats and pending threats.”
“Although we all hope to never have to put the BEAR through its paces, we have all seen incidents unfold on television like Columbine and the Bank of America shootings,” said County Executive Tom DeGise. “This vehicle is the right fit for the county’s role as key regional support to municipal law enforcement and emergency management services. My thanks to Jack Burns, our OEM Coordinator, and his staff for winning the funding for this unique and clearly very powerful tool to protect our residents.”
Contact Al Sullivan at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com