Bearcat -original post date 3/27/2013
To wrap up my trio of law enforcement vehicles in car du jour; I present the Bearcat.
These vehicles became more popular after 9/11, when police departments had some homeland security funds to spend; which is why you'll sometimes see these in places that you can't imagine will ever actually need use of what is essentially a tank (this one, for example, belongs to Edina) -suburbs and small cities, etc. Larger metro areas often had more pressing and practical needs to spend the money on even though a vehicle like this was more likely to be be needed there. Thankfully, suburbs like to share their toys sometimes, and up until just recently, when MPLS could afford its own Bearcat, they would accept assistance from places like Edina and Roseville, who were eager to help and just itching to make use of their equipment.
...and who could blame them. If I had one of these beasts, I'd want to show it off, too.
So, let's don our pith helmets and venture into the automotive jungle to study the rare and ferocious creature known as the Bearcat.
For starters, these massive machines are made by a company called Lenco that also makes a larger version of the Bearcat that is simply called the B.E.A.R. That's more if a military grade exclusive, so we won't go there today. The full name of this machine is the Bearcat Tactical Armored Vehicle, and its makers use a Ford F-550 Super Duty chassis as the starting point for their build.
There are two engine options for powering the bearcat: the 6.7 L V8 turbo diesel, which makes 400hp and a massive 800 Lb ft of torque, or the gas powered Triton V10 that makes 362 HP and 457 Lb ft of torque (I think the diesel is the better choice of the two).
The Bearcat has lots of configuration options depending on how it will be used, but usually features the following:
Armor that can repel attacks from assault weapons, ballistic glass that can withstand multiple hits, blast resistant floors, gun ports, rotating roof hatches/turrets, a tear gas deployment nozzle, and easy attachment points for winches, battering rams, thermal cameras, spotlights, lights, and sirens.
If ever there is occasion to have a bearcat pull up in front of your abode, you have my pity and should count yourself completely and utterly hosed, after which, you should probably lay down your arms and surrender peacefully. Unless you've got an Abrams Battle Tank stashed in your garage, you just don't stand a chance against a machine like the Bearcat.
Folks on the Northside will probably recall seeing Mpls's new Bearcat a few weeks ago when there was some nut with a gun holed up in a house near 42/Aldrich, if I recall correctly. Situations like that tend to arise with some regularity when there's a complete and utter lack of mental health screening for gun ownership and retention (I think having a gun ought to be like having a drivers license. -every few years, you renew your status by passing tests that in this case would include a mental health screening that would keep firearms away from folks with dementia, psychosis, and paranoid/homicidal ideation -but that's just my 2 cents). So, while I couldn't tell you a price point for a Bearcat, I can assure you, it ain't cheap, but it's money that has to be spent to deal with violent and dangerous situations when they present themselves.
These vehicles became more popular after 9/11, when police departments had some homeland security funds to spend; which is why you'll sometimes see these in places that you can't imagine will ever actually need use of what is essentially a tank (this one, for example, belongs to Edina) -suburbs and small cities, etc. Larger metro areas often had more pressing and practical needs to spend the money on even though a vehicle like this was more likely to be be needed there. Thankfully, suburbs like to share their toys sometimes, and up until just recently, when MPLS could afford its own Bearcat, they would accept assistance from places like Edina and Roseville, who were eager to help and just itching to make use of their equipment.
...and who could blame them. If I had one of these beasts, I'd want to show it off, too.
So, let's don our pith helmets and venture into the automotive jungle to study the rare and ferocious creature known as the Bearcat.
For starters, these massive machines are made by a company called Lenco that also makes a larger version of the Bearcat that is simply called the B.E.A.R. That's more if a military grade exclusive, so we won't go there today. The full name of this machine is the Bearcat Tactical Armored Vehicle, and its makers use a Ford F-550 Super Duty chassis as the starting point for their build.
There are two engine options for powering the bearcat: the 6.7 L V8 turbo diesel, which makes 400hp and a massive 800 Lb ft of torque, or the gas powered Triton V10 that makes 362 HP and 457 Lb ft of torque (I think the diesel is the better choice of the two).
The Bearcat has lots of configuration options depending on how it will be used, but usually features the following:
Armor that can repel attacks from assault weapons, ballistic glass that can withstand multiple hits, blast resistant floors, gun ports, rotating roof hatches/turrets, a tear gas deployment nozzle, and easy attachment points for winches, battering rams, thermal cameras, spotlights, lights, and sirens.
If ever there is occasion to have a bearcat pull up in front of your abode, you have my pity and should count yourself completely and utterly hosed, after which, you should probably lay down your arms and surrender peacefully. Unless you've got an Abrams Battle Tank stashed in your garage, you just don't stand a chance against a machine like the Bearcat.
Folks on the Northside will probably recall seeing Mpls's new Bearcat a few weeks ago when there was some nut with a gun holed up in a house near 42/Aldrich, if I recall correctly. Situations like that tend to arise with some regularity when there's a complete and utter lack of mental health screening for gun ownership and retention (I think having a gun ought to be like having a drivers license. -every few years, you renew your status by passing tests that in this case would include a mental health screening that would keep firearms away from folks with dementia, psychosis, and paranoid/homicidal ideation -but that's just my 2 cents). So, while I couldn't tell you a price point for a Bearcat, I can assure you, it ain't cheap, but it's money that has to be spent to deal with violent and dangerous situations when they present themselves.
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