The Lenco BearCat is a wheeled armored personnel carrier in use with numerous military and law enforcement agencies.

History

Since 1981 the Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

 based Lenco Industries, known as Lenco Armoured Vehicles has designed and manufactured armored vehicles for Law Enforcement

Law enforcement

Law enforcement broadly refers to any system by which some members of society act in an organized manner to promote adherence to the law by discovering and punishing persons who violate the rules and norms governing that society...

, Military

Military

A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...

, Government and Private Security Forces. Lenco has produced more than 4,000 armored vehicles for use in more than 30 countries worldwide.

The BearCat is one type of vehicle produced by the company that is in use with numerous US Military and Law Enforcement agencies and it also used by numerous Police Tactical Group

Police Tactical Group

Police tactical groups , formerly known as "police assault groups", are part of the Australian government's National Anti-Terrorism Plan which, since 1978, has required each state and territory police force to maintain a specialised counter-terrorist and hostage rescue unit jointly funded by the...

s in Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. The name BearCat stands for Ballistic Engineered Armored Response Counter Attack Truck as it is the smaller cousin to the Lenco B.E.A.R. The Bearcat is based on a Ford F-550 6.0-liter turbo­diesel, four-speed automatic transmission commercial truck chassis. The 1.5-inch-thick steel armored bodywork is completed with ballistic glass capable of multi-hits, blast-resistant floors, specially designed gunports, roof hatchesa/turret and agency specific equipment and/or modifications such as lights/sirens/battering ram

Battering ram

A battering ram is a siege engine originating in ancient times and designed to break open the masonry walls of fortifications or splinter their wooden gates...

/winches/thermal cameras and spot lights.

Useage

Bearcats are typically referred to by Law Enforcement agencies as being 'armored rescue vehicles' with their primary use being to transport tactical (SWAT

SWAT

A SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...

/Special Reaction Teams

Special Reaction Teams

A Special Reaction Team is a specialized team or element within law enforcement units of the United States Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, to respond to high risk situations within a military base or compound....

) officers to and from hostile situations and to assist with the recovery and protection of civilians in harms way during terrorist threats, hostage incidents or encounters with armed offenders. The Bearcat is designed to provide protection from a variety of small arms

Small arms

Small arms is a term of art used by armed forces to denote infantry weapons an individual soldier may carry. The description is usually limited to revolvers, pistols, submachine guns, carbines, assault rifles, battle rifles, multiple barrel firearms, sniper rifles, squad automatic weapons, light...

, explosives and IED

Improvised explosive device

An improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...

 threats. Like its larger cousin the B.E.A.R, the Bearcat is able to be fitted with the 'MARS' Mobile Adjustable Ramp System which allows tactical officers to gain entry to elevated platforms such as second story windows or aircraft.

Lenco Bearcats have been credited with saving the lives of officers in armed confrontations on numerous occasions. In 2010 is Tyler, Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

 an armed offender fired more than 35 rounds from an AK-47

AK-47

The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...

 rifle at tactical police. Not one round penetrated the Bearcat.

Variants

At present there are nine variants of the BearCat, some with unique features and others designed for specific purposes or customers.

• Military - Military version
• LE - Law Enforcement version
• G3 - off-road variant for law enforcement
• VIP/SUV - armored vehicle for diplomatic missions
• Medevac
  MEDEVAC
  Medical evacuation, often termed Medevac or Medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to the wounded being evacuated from the battlefield or to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of an accident to receiving medical facilities using...
  
   LE (Law Enforcement) - armored medical evacuation vehicle
• Medevac
  MEDEVAC
  Medical evacuation, often termed Medevac or Medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to the wounded being evacuated from the battlefield or to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of an accident to receiving medical facilities using...
  
   Mil (Military) - armored medical evacuation vehicle
• Riot Control
  Riot control
  Riot control refers to the measures used by police, military, or other security forces to control, disperse, and arrest civilians who are involved in a riot, demonstration, or protest. Law enforcement officers or soldiers have long used non-lethal weapons such as batons and whips to disperse crowds...
  
  
• G4 M-ATV - armored All-terrain vehicle
  All-terrain vehicle
  An all-terrain vehicle , also known as a quad, quad bike, three wheeler, or four wheeler, is defined by the American National Standards Institute as a vehicle that travels on low pressure tires, with a seat that is straddled by the operator, along with handlebars for steering control...
  
   (Generation 4)
• EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal- armored vehicle for Bomb Units with room for a large bomb disposal robot/s/equipment

Features

The BearCat series is customizable with a variety of standard and non-stanard features depending on the customers requirements. BearCats are able to be fitted with moveable elevated platform systems to enable tactical units to access a variety of elevated structures such as multi-story buildings, ships at docks or aircraft during high-risk, hostage or terrorist situations. The LAPD fits one of its four armored Lenco vehicles with one such system.

Some of the BearCats features include:

• emergency lights/sirens,
• rotating roof hatch,
• optional powered turrets with or without ballistic glass panels and blast shields,
• gun ports,
• electric winches,
• running boards,
• protection against chemical, biological, radiological nuclear and high-yield explosives (CBRNE),
• back-up camera,
• Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS),
• battering ram
  Battering ram
  A battering ram is a siege engine originating in ancient times and designed to break open the masonry walls of fortifications or splinter their wooden gates...
  
   attachment,
• CS gas
  CS gas
  2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile is the defining component of a "tear gas" commonly referred to as CS gas, which is used as a riot control agent...
  
   (tear gas) deployment nozzle,
• radiation
  Radiation
  In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
  
   detection systems,
• Thermographic camera
  Thermographic camera
  A thermographic camera or infrared camera is a device that forms an image using infrared radiation, similar to a common camera that forms an image using visible light...
  
   systems,
• spot/flood lights

Operators

BearCats of various configurations are currently is use with the following agencies and departments around the world with over 300 in use in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 alone.

 Australia

• Australian Federal Police
  Australian Federal Police
  The Australian Federal Police is the federal police agency of the Commonwealth of Australia. Although the AFP was created by the amalgamation in 1979 of three Commonwealth law enforcement agencies, it traces its history from Commonwealth law enforcement agencies dating back to the federation of...
  
   - Specialist Response and Security Team
  Specialist Response and Security
  The Specialist Response and Security Team is the Special Operations and Police Tactical Group of the Australian Federal Police having responsibility for tactical and specialist operations within the Australian Capital Territory...
  
  
• New South Wales Police Force - Tactical Operations Unit
  State Protection Group
  The State Protection Group is part of the Specialist Operations division of the New South Wales Police Force, having been established in 1991 to deal with extraordinary policing responses. The SPG directly supports police in high-risk incidents such as sieges with specialised tactical,...
  
  
• Northern Territory Police
  Northern Territory Police
  The Northern Territory Police is the police body that has legal jurisdiction over the Northern Territory of Australia. This police service has 1302 gazetted police positions made up of 55 Senior Sergeants, 200 Sergeants, 741 Constables, 159 Auxiliaries, and 84 Aboriginal Community Police Officers...
  
  - Territory Response Group
  Territory Response Group
  The Territory Response Group is the Police Tactical Group of the Northern Territory Police. Part of the Territory Response Section the TRG is tasked to provide general and specialist support to other units of the Northern Territory Police...
  
  
• Queensland Police Service - Special Emergency Response Team
  Special Emergency Response Team (Queensland)
  Special Emergency Response Team is the Police Tactical Group of the Queensland Police, Australia. SERT is part of the Specialist Response Branch within the Operations Support Command which incorporates the Explosive Operations Response Team and the Negotiator Coordination Unit...
  
  
• South Australia Police
  South Australia Police
  The South Australia Police is the police force of the Australian state of South Australia. It is an agency of the Government of South Australia within the South Australian Department of Justice.-History:...
  
  - Special Tasks and Rescue Group
  Special Tasks and Rescue
  Special Tasks and Rescue is the Police Tactical Group of the South Australia Police.-History:Formed on 30 November 1978 the South Australian Police STAR Group was a rationalisation of specialist resources into one command/unit. Specialist units had existed prior to 1978 within SAPOL to deal with...
  
  
• Western Australia Police
  Western Australia Police
  The Western Australia Police services an area of 2.5 million square kilometres, the world's largest non-federated area of jurisdiction. In 2008, its 7,526 employees included 5,647 police officers.-History:-Early history:...
  
   - Tactical Response Group

 Canada

• Vancouver Police Department
  Vancouver Police Department
  The Vancouver Police Department is the police force for the City of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several police departments within the Metro Vancouver Area and is the second largest police force in the province after RCMP "E" Division.VPD was the first Canadian police force...
  
   - Emergency Response Team
• Ottawa Police Service
  Ottawa Police Service
  The Ottawa Police Service serves the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.-History:The OPS roots come from the formation of the "Bytown Association" in 1847. In 1855 Roderick Ross was the first Chief Constable for the newly formed City of Ottawa...
  
   - Tactical Unit

 United States

Federal Law Enforcement

• United States Department of Energy
  United States Department of Energy
  The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
  
  
• United States Park Police
  United States Park Police
  The United States Park Police is one of the oldest uniformed federal law enforcement agencies in the United States. It functions as a full service law enforcement agency with responsibilities and jurisdiction in those National Park Service areas primarily located in the Washington, D.C., San...
  
  

State/Local Law Enforcement

• Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
  Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
  The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is a local county law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. It is the fourth largest local policing agency in the United States, with the New York City Police Department being the first. The second largest is the Chicago Police...
  
   - Special Enforcement Bureau
• Los Angeles Police Department
  Los Angeles Police Department
  The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
  
   -S.W.A.T
• New York City Police Department Emergency Service Unit
  New York City Police Department Emergency Service Unit
  The New York City Police Department Emergency Service Unit is the Emergency Service Unit for the New York City Police Department. A component of the Special Operations Division of the Patrol Services Bureau, the unit provides specialized support and advanced equipment to other NYPD units. For...
  
  
• Dallas Police Department (Texas) – S.W.A.T
• Kennedy Space Center
  Kennedy Space Center
  The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
  
   - S.W.A.T
• New Mexico State Police
  New Mexico State Police
  The New Mexico State Police is the state police agency for New Mexico, which has jurisdiction anywhere in the state. It was created to protect the lives, property and constitutional rights of people in New Mexico...
  
   – Tactical Team
• Chicago Police Department
  Chicago Police Department
  The Chicago Police Department, also known as the CPD, is the principal law enforcement agency of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States, under the jurisdiction of the Mayor of Chicago. It is the largest police department in the Midwest and the second largest local law enforcement agency in the...
  
   – S.W.A.T
• Erie (Ohio) Bureau of Police
• Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (Tennessee) - S.W.A.T
• Santa Barbara Police Department
  Santa Barbara Police Department
  The Santa Barbara Police Department is a local law enforcement agency in the city of Santa Barbara, California. It was founded in January 1900 by, the mayor at the time, Charles A. Storke. The departments jurisdiction is a little over and has a population of around 90,000.-History:Prior to 1899, a...
  
  
• Honolulu Police Department
  Honolulu Police Department
  The Honolulu Police Department is the principal law enforcement agency of the City and County of Honolulu, Hawai'i, headquartered in the Alapa'i Police Headquarters in Honolulu CDP....
  
   - S.W.A.T
• Burbank Police Department
  Burbank Police Department
  The Burbank Police Department is the police department serving Burbank, California.Scott LaChasse became the Police Chief of the department on Jan. 1, 2010. The previous chiefs were Tim Stehr, Thomas Hoefel, David Newsham and Glen Bell....
  
   - S.W.A.T
• San Diego Police Department (California) - S.W.A.T
• Lee County Sheriff's Office (Florida) - S.W.A.T
• Denver Police Department
  Denver Police Department
  The Denver Police Department is the full service police department jointly for the City and County of Denver, Colorado, which provides the full spectrum of police services to the entire county, and may provide contractual security police services to special districts within the county.The current...
  
   - S.W.A.T
• Pasadena Police Department
  Pasadena Police Department
  The Pasadena Police Department is the police department serving Pasadena, California. The headquarters of the Pasadena Police Department is located at 207 North Garfield Avenue in Pasadena, just a few blocks from the Pasadena City Hall and Paseo Colorado. The department employs 241 sworn officers,...
  
   - S.W.A.T

Military

• United States Air Force
  United States Air Force
  The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
  
   91st Security Forces Group
• Marine Corps Security Force Regiment

External links

• http://www.swattrucks.com/
• http://www.garcosheriff.com/just_the_facts/jtf_bearcat.pdf