By J.D. Walker
The Courier Tribune,
ASHEBORO, N.C. — Randolph County commissioners voted unanimously Monday to approve the purchase of a Lenco BearCat tactical response vehicle by the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office, using $363,817 in law enforcement-restricted funds.
The tactical response vehicle will be used in emergency situations when there is an active threat against the public while providing the response team, which is composed of law enforcement volunteers and paramedics, with ballistic protection, said Jane Leonard, speaking on behalf of the sheriff’s office. She said it could be used in hostage situations, barricaded subjects or downed-officer/civilian rescue.
The BearCat is built on a Ford F550 chassis with four doors and a 4-wheel, off-road upgrade package with an open floor plan that can comfortably accommodate a fully-equipped 10- to 12-man tactical team. In addition, it will have run-flat tires, roof-mounted spotlights, a back-up camera system with monitor, an intercom system (inside to outside), a hydraulic ram, thermal imaging and a color camera with flat screen color monitor, and will be ballistic plated. With the thermal image system, it can also assist in search and rescue operations, Leonard said.
Speaking before Leonard’s presentation during the public comment period, Janet Pate, Dana Romaine and John North questioned why the sheriff’s department needed a military-style vehicle. They asked if it might be used against citizens and why the county would spend that much money. North asked why, if the need ever arose for a military response in the community, the sheriff’s office couldn’t just call on the military.
Col. Fred Rutledge told commissioners the vehicle is needed to protect the people who put their lives in jeopardy to respond to dangerous situations. During a presentation at the commissioners’ budget retreat in March, officials showed a video of a similar vehicle being used in another area in response to a domestic dispute. In that example, a suspect sheltered in a house, coming out periodically to shoot at the vehicle. The emergency responders inside the vehicle were protected, even as the shots shattered (but did not break) the vehicle’s windshield and bounced off the armour plating.
Rutledge said the ACLU has expressed a preference for the Bearcat civilian tactical response vehicle over the military equipment that some law enforcement departments have bought. He pointed out the money being spent on the vehicle comes from drug seizures, not from county taxpayers. He said the federal government strictly regulates how drug seizure money can be spent and this is an example of what the government approves the funds for.
Rutledge said, currently, the county has a converted 1997 ambulance and a 1969 model Peacekeeper military vehicle in a non-running state. He said the Peacekeeper is not street legal and parts for it have become impossible to find when repairs are required.
The board voted unanimously to approve the purchase. Commissioner Arnold Lanier echoed the sentiments of the board when he said, “If this vehicle saves one life, it pays for itself.”
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©2015 The Courier-Tribune, Asheboro, N.C.