The Lenco BearCat is a wheeled SWAT vehicle designed for military and law enforcement use. It is in use by several military forces and law enforcement agencies around the world.

History

Since 1981 the

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-based Lenco Industries, known as Lenco Armored Vehicles, has designed and manufactured armored vehicles for law enforcement, military, government and private security forces. Lenco has produced more than 5,000 armored vehicles for use in more than 40 countries worldwide.http://bioamerica-inc.com/v2/media/lenco/Lenco_Armored_Vehicles_Brief.pdf The BearCat is one type of vehicle produced by the company that is in use by numerous U.S. military and law enforcement agencies and it also used by all state and territory Police Tactical Groups in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

purchased by the

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Governmen ...

. The Bearcat is based on a Ford F-550 Super Duty commercial truck chassis with two available engines (the V10 Triton Gasoline and the 6.7L Turbo Diesel), and a six-speed automatic transmission. The .5-1.5 inch thick mil spec steel armored bodywork is completed with .50 BMG rated ballistic glass capable of multi-hits, blast-resistant floors, gunports, roof hatches/turret and agency specific equipment and/or modifications such as lights/sirens/ battering ram/winches/thermal cameras and spot lights. The first BearCat was designed and completed in August 2001 as a spin-off product of the larger Lenco B.E.A.R., with input from Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) as an updated and improved version of their military surplus Cadillac Gage Ranger "PeaceKeeper" armored vehicles.

Usage

BearCats are typically referred to by law enforcement agencies as being "armored rescue vehicles" with their primary use being to transport tactical (

SWAT In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...

/ Special Reaction Teams) officers to and from hostile situations and to assist with the recovery and protection of civilians in harm's way during terrorist threats, hostage incidents, or encounters with large gatherings of aggressors. The BearCat is designed to provide protection from a variety of

small arms A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes ...

explosives An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An expl ...

and IED 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 in Athens,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, an armed offender fired more than 35 rounds from a semi-automatic AK-74 rifle at tactical police. Not one round penetrated the BearCat. In June 2012 a BearCat, belonging to the Central Bucks Emergency Response Team, took 28 rounds from a "high-powered rifle" during a siege with no rounds penetrating the vehicle. In November 2015, a BearCat was used by police to rescue civilians during the

Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood shooting On November 27, 2015, a mass shooting occurred in a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, Colorado, resulting in the deaths of three people and injuries to nine. A police officer and two civilians were killed; five police officers and ...

. The Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office BearCat was shot between four and seven times with a rifle during an incident on December 29, 2015. Sheriff Whetsel was quoted as saying the BearCat saved the Deputies' lives. On June 12, 2016, a BearCat was used to breach Pulse nightclub after a gunman shot and killed 49 clubgoers and injured 53 others. On January 15, 2022, multiple BearCats were used by North Tarrant Regional SWAT, the North Richland Hills Police Department SWAT team, FBI Dallas SWAT, and FBI HRT, at the Congregation Beth Israel Hostage Crisis in Colleyville, Texas. In December 2022, four

Queensland Police Service The Queensland Police Service (QPS) is the principal law enforcement agency responsible for policing the Australian state of Queensland. In 1990, the Queensland Police Force was officially renamed the Queensland Police Service and the old motto ...

officers were ambushed and fired upon during a routine inquiry, with two officers losing their lives. The offenders were later engaged by QPS' Special Emergency Response Team (Queensland) and shot dead. Aerial footage of the scene shown in media reports showed numerous bullet impacts to the windscreen of the SERT 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 LE – armored

medical evacuation Medical evacuation, often shortened to medevac or medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to wounded being evacuated from a battlefield, to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of a ...

vehicle (law enforcement) "MedCat" – equipped with two medical litters, oxygen tanks, a lighted work station, and compartments for medical supplies and gear storage. * Medevac Mil – armored medical evacuation vehicle (military) "MedCat" – designed for Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TC3), equipped with same features as the MedCat LE with four medical litters. * Riot control *Edition equipped with anti-riot gear, as shown below. ** Equipped with Hydraulic RAM (Front Plow) to move heavy barriers ** Steel Armor Construction with optional B-Kit & Blast protection ** Gunner Protection Kit with mounts for M249, Mk19, M2 .50 Ca ** Mission-specific floorplan designed for end user requirements ** Protective Window Screens and Light Guards, LRAD, Smoke Launcher ** V8 Turbo Diesel Engine; 4x4 for off-road performance ** Commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) platform for easy and low-cost maintenance * G4 M-ATV – armored

all-terrain vehicle An all-terrain vehicle (ATV), also known as a light utility vehicle (LUV), a quad bike, or simply a quad, as defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI); is a vehicle that travels on low-pressure tires, with a seat that is stra ...

(Generation 4) * EOD ( Explosive ordnance disposal) – armored vehicle "BombCat" for bomb units with room for a large bomb disposal robot, with fold-down ramp and hydraulically controlled platform for deployment. Also can include roof-mounted zoom camera with scene lighting, thermal camera, CBRNE equipment, and advanced communications sensors upon request.

Features

The BearCat series is customizable with a variety of non-standard features depending on the customers' requirements. BearCats are able to be fitted with moveable elevated platform systems called the Liberator and ARC by Patriot3, Inc., 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 armoured Lenco vehicles with one such system along with many other local and state law enforcement agencies. Some of the BearCat's 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 Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defence (CBRN defence) are protective measures taken in situations in which chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear warfare (including terrorism) hazards may be present. CBRN defence consi ...

) * back-up camera *

Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station The Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS) is a series of remote weapon stations used by the US military on its armored vehicles and ships. It allows weapon operators to engage targets without leaving the protection of their vehicle. ...

(CROWS) * battering ram attachment *

CS gas The compound 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile (also called ''o''-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile; chemical formula: C10H5ClN2), a cyanocarbon, is the defining component of tear gas commonly referred to as CS gas, which is used as a riot control agen ...

(tear gas) deployment nozzle *

radiation In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or through a material medium. This includes: * ''electromagnetic radiation'', such as radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visi ...

detection systems * Thermographic camera systems * spot/flood lights

Operators

Tactical Operations Unit assault vehicle - Flickr - Highway Patrol Images

BearCats of various configurations are in use by the following agencies and departments around the world with over 500 in use in the United States alone. *

Australian Federal Police The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is the national and principal federal law enforcement agency of the Australian Government with the unique role of investigating crime and protecting the national security of the Commonwealth of Australia. ...

– Specialist Response Group * New South Wales Police Force – Tactical Operations Unit ×3 (One each of the 2003, 2012 and 2018 variant) * Northern Territory Police – Territory Response Group *

–

Special Emergency Response Team The Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) () was an elite police tactical unit of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). The SERT was formed in 1986 to provide a tactical capability to respond to major terrorist incidents throughout Canada. ...

×2 *

South Australia Police South Australia Police (SAPOL) is the police force of the Australian States and territories of Australia, state of South Australia. SAPOL is an independent statutory agency of the Government of South Australia directed by the Commissioner of Po ...

– Special Tasks and Rescue Group *

Tasmania Police Tasmania Police is the primary law enforcement agency of the Australian state of Tasmania. Established in 1899, the force has more than 1,300 officers policing Tasmania's population of over half a million people. History Colonial history Prior ...

– Special Operations Group *

Victoria Police Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of the Australian state of Victoria. It was formed in 1853 and currently operates under the ''Victoria Police Act 2013''. , Victoria Police had over 22,300 staff, comprising over 16,700 ...

– Special Operations Group ×2 (2018 variant) and Critical Incident Response Team x1 (2013 variant) *

Western Australia Police The Western Australia Police Force, colloquially WAPOL, provides police services throughout the state of Western Australia, an area of 2.5 million square kilometres, the world's largest non-federated area of jurisdiction, with a population ...

– Tactical Response Group ×2 *

Bangladesh Police The Bangladesh Police ( bn, বাংলাদেশ পুলিশ) of the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a law enforcement agency, operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It plays a crucial role in maintaining peace, and enforcemen ...

Bangladesh Ansar The Bangladesh Ansar (also known as the Ansar Bahini) is a paramilitary auxiliary force responsible for the preservation of internal security and law enforcement in Bangladesh. It is administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government ...

* Border Guard Bangladesh *

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

Local Police * Military Police of Goiás State – Batalhão de Operações Especiais *

Ottawa Police Service The Ottawa Police Service (OPS; French: ''Service de police d'Ottawa'') is a municipal police force in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The OPS serves an area of 2,790 square kilometres and 1,017,449 (2021 census) people alongside several other police ...

– Tactical Unit *

Saskatoon Police Service Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) is the municipal police service in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It holds both municipal and provincial jurisdiction. Police Chief Troy Cooper is the head of the service. The deputy chiefs are Deputy Chief Rand ...

– Emergency Response Team * Counter Terrorism Centre * Moroccan Auxiliary Forces – 88 BearCat armored vehicles in riot control, troop transport, communications, convoy protection, and SWAT variants. * BCIJ (Bureau Central d'Investigations Judiciaires), Moroccan Domestic Intelligence Unit & Special Forces. *

National Police Corps The National Police Corps ( es, Cuerpo Nacional de Policía, link=no, CNP; ; also known simply as National Police, ) is the national civilian police force of Spain. The CNP is mainly responsible for policing urban areas, whilst rural policing ...

- Multiple Lenco BEARs and Lenco BearCats in service with the Dienst Speciale Interventies (Special Intervention Service). A police service consisting of both military and police personnel, specialized in counter-terrorism ops, apprehension of high-value or high-risk individuals, aircraft hijackings and hostage situations. Also includes operators belonging to M-Squadron of NLMARSOF, special operations forces of the

Netherlands Marine Corps The Netherlands Marine Corps ( nl, Korps Mariniers) is the elite naval infantry corps of the Royal Netherlands Navy. The marines trace their origins back to the establishment of the on 10 December 1665, by the then grand pensionary of the D ...

, under DSI command for domestic counter-terrorism operations on Dutch soil, specialized in large-scale and complex interventions. *

Serbian Armed Forces The Serbian Armed Forces ( sr, Војска Србије, Vojska Srbije) is the military of Serbia. The President of Serbia acts as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, while administration and defence policy is carried out by the Government ...

- Military Police * National Police Agency (South Korea) - Korea National Police Special Operation Unit * National Police Agency (Taiwan) - National Police Agency Special Operations Group Federal Law Enforcement *

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice ...

– Special Weapons and Tactics *

United States Department of Energy The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees U.S. national energy policy and manages the research and development of nuclear power and nuclear weapons in the United States ...

Over 80 Lenco BearCats on (8) DoE Sites * United States Park Police *

Kennedy Space Center The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC, originally known as the NASA Launch Operations Center), located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) ten field centers. Since December 196 ...

– Emergency Response Team State/Local Law Enforcement * Alaska State Troopers – 3 * Bergen County Regional SWAT team * Berrien County Sheriff's Office SWAT * Bloomington Police Department * Boulder County Sheriff * Burbank Police Department – S.W.A.T * Central Bucks Emergency Response Team *

Chicago Police Department The Chicago Police Department (CPD) is the municipal law enforcement agency of the U.S. city of Chicago, Illinois, under the jurisdiction of the City Council. It is the second-largest municipal police department in the United States, behind t ...

– S.W.A.T * Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, CCSO SWAT. Clackamas County, OR x 1 Bearcat * Concord, New Hampshire, Police Department *

Dallas Police Department (Texas) The Dallas Police Department, established in 1881, is the principal law enforcement agency serving the city of Dallas, Texas. Organization The department is headed by a chief of police who is appointed by the city manager who, in turn, is hi ...

– S.W.A.T x 2 * Denver Police Department – S.W.A.T * Des Moines Police Department; Des Moines, IA * Douglas County (CO) Sheriff -SWAT *Edmond Oklahoma Police Department - SWAT * Erie (PA) Bureau of Police * Honolulu Police Department – Specialized Services Division * Hudson County Sheriff's Department – S.W.A.T * Humboldt County (CA) Sheriff's Department *

Kansas Highway Patrol The Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) is the highway patrol agency for the U.S. state of Kansas. While the patrol's primary focus is maintaining the safety of State, Federal and Interstate highways, it also is charged with providing support for rural a ...

- Special Response Team and Mobile Field Force * Keene, New Hampshire Police Department- S.W.A.T. * Louisiana State Police – S.W.A.T * Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department – Special Enforcement Bureau ×6 (One B.E.A.R, three BearCats, two Paramedic or MedCats) *

Los Angeles Police Department The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-lar ...

– S.W.A.T ×4 (One B.E.A.R, two BearCats and one MedCat variant) * Lower Columbia SWAT, Cowlitz, Clark, Skamania, and Wahkiakum Counties – Washington State. * Miami Dade Police Department – S.R.T *

Miami-Dade Police Department The Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD), formerly known as the Metro-Dade Police Department (1981–1997), Dade County Public Safety Department (1957–1981), and the Dade County Sheriff's Office (1836–1957), is a county police department ser ...

Special Response Team * * Michigan State Police - Emergency Response Team *Montrose County Colorado sheriff department * St Louis Metro Police Department– S.W.A.T * New Mexico State Police – Tactical Team * New York City Police Department Emergency Service Unit ×2 * Northeast Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (NEMLEC) *Oakland County Sheriff's Office - S.W.A.T. * Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office - S.W.A.T. * Orlando Police Department * Pasadena Police Department – S.W.A.T * Passaic County Sheriff's Department – S.W.A.T * Portland Police Bureau (PPB), Special Emergency Response Team, Portland, OR x 2 Bearcats, 1 Medcat * Portland Port Authority (PPA), Special Emergency Response Team, Portland, OR x 2 Bearcats * Prince William County Police Department

Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake The Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake (UPD) is a police department located in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. Description The UPD serves unincorporated Salt Lake County and the communities of Copperton, Holladay, Kearns, ...

* Riley County, KS Police Department * San Diego Police Department (California) – S.W.A.T * San Francisco Police Department – S.W.A.T *

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 department's jurisdiction is a little over and has a ...

* Seaside Police Department (California) * Southeast Idaho SWAT team * St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office – Crisis Management Unit (CMU) * Stockton Police Department (California) – S.W.A.T * York County (Pennsylvania) Quick Response Team *Walworth County Sheriff's Office (Wisconsin) * Bellevue Police Department, Washington - SWAT * Henry County, IN SWAT Military *

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...

91st Security Forces Group The 91st Security Forces Group falls under operational command of the 91st Missile Wing, and provides command and control for four squadrons—the 91st Missile Security Forces Squadron, 791st Missile Security Forces Squadron, 891st Missile Secu ...

Global Strike Command – (6) Air Force Bases – 60 BearCats for Nuclear Missile Convoy Protection *

Marine Corps Security Force Regiment The Marine Corps Security Force Regiment is a dedicated security and anti-terrorism unit of the United States Marine Corps. It provides security forces to guard high-value naval installations, most notably those containing nuclear vessels and w ...

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

BearCats used for US Army Military Police Special Reaction Teams ** Fort Carson, CO ** Fort Hood, TX ** Fort Riley, KS ** Fort Bragg, NC ** US Army, 94th MP BN Korea *

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

SWFPAC & SWFLANT (Strategic Weapons Facilities / Pacific & Atlantic – Over 100 BearCats for Perimeter Patrol & Security)

References

External links

Lenco Bearcat official site

Just the Facts!: The BearCat: What it is and ''what it is not''!
*

Leno James Douglas Muir Leno (; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and actor. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show'' from 1992 to 2009. Beginning in September 2009 ...

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Lenco BearCat
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