Hmmm…the whole thing seems out of place in Montana, but I guess the taxpayers must really need this piece of equipment. Anyway, it looks like they got the “Military Model.”
http://www.armoredtrucks.com/bcat-mil.htm
The Lenco BearCat was initially developed as a tactical armored vehicle for special operations units within the law enforcement community. Having proven itself in the field, the BearCat has repelled multiple attacks from assault weapons, providing SWAT teams unprecedented ballistic protection with its life saving armor. The BearCat has enabled law enforcement agencies nationwide to perform critical response and rescue operations in a safe, secure and highly mobile armored vehicle.
With a maximum highway speed of 85mph, and off road capabilities, the Lenco BearCat proves itself highly versatile on the front line of defense in a variety of roles, including:
- Perimeter Patrol
- Assault / Counter-Assault
- Convoy
- Emergency Response & Rescue
- Repair & Recovery
- Tactical Operation
Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Department rolled out its newest weapon Tuesday: a 13-foot-tall, 35,000-pound BEAR.
That’s BEAR as in Ballistic Engineered Armored Response vehicle.
The $385,000 vehicle is encased in metal that is meant to withstand bullets. It was purchased with a Homeland Security grant.
…“Recent events clearly show that law enforcement is outgunned and outarmored,” St. John said. “When we need to make rescues, equipment like this is absolutely invaluable.”
The sides of the BEAR have gun ports, and there is a hatch on the roof. The windows are made of 2 1/2-inch-thick shatterproof glass. The inside is sparse but utilitarian. The BEAR can be made air tight so it is safe for use when contaminants and hazardous materials have been released.
…The Missoula vehicle is an improvised-explosive-device unit. That may seem out of place in western Montana, but the national strategic plan anticipates that the next wave of terrorism in the United States will likely be the type of explosions that are used in the Middle East, Missoula County Sheriff’s Lt. Brad Giffin said.
“Law enforcement has to be ahead of the curve on some of these things,” he said.
Source/Full Story:: BillingsGazette.com
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…and then there’s this type of military action in the US to ‘curb crime”:
[March 11 2009] Travus T. Hipp Morning News & Commentary: But Is It A Solution? Salinas California Has A Gang Problem So The Sheriffs Are Going To Take Anti-Terrorist Counter-Intelligence Training And Use Federal Facilities In Their War On Gangs
http://leighm.net/wp/2009/03/11/tth_090311/
or: http://www.archive.org/details/tth_090311
They’ve got your ‘posse comitatus’ hangin’… Using MS-13 (now, along with Food Not Bombs and Reclaim The Streets a ‘terrorist organization’) as an excuse to go after gang-bangers and taggers.