Fort Bend County SWAT Team acquires BearCat armored vehicle

Fort Bend County police have a new tactical, armored response and rescue vehicle that they say enhances the safety of SWAT officers throughout the region.

Fort Bend County police have a new tactical, armored response and rescue vehicle that they say enhances the safety of SWAT officers throughout the region.

The newly realigned Fort Bend Regional SWAT Team will utilize the vehicle, known simply as the BearCat, throughout the county.

The BearCat is an armored personnel carrier made by Lenco Industries. It costs roughly $300,000.

The BearCat is used in high-risk situations. It carries up to 10 people and can traverse a variety of terrains. Police often employ it for barricaded situations, high-risk warrants, active shooters and dignitary transport.

Last year, in Tyler, a SWAT team used a BearCat to approach a kidnapping and murder suspect who was armed with an AK-47 assault rifle. The suspect fired 35 rounds at the BearCat before a sniper neutralized him.

"It allowed officers to approach the residence safely and protected them under heavy fire from a very high-powered rifle," said Tyler SWAT Commander Rusty Jacks, via a press release.

The county paid for the BearCat with an Urban Areas Security Initiative grant provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Homeland Security Grant Program.

The Fort Bend Regional SWAT Team is made up of an east division staffed by the Missouri City, Sugar Land and Stafford Police Departments. and a west division comprised of the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office and the Rosenberg Police Department.

The acquisition of the BearCat illustrates a yearlong effort by law enforcement agencies throughout the county to collaborate more closely, especially in the area of SWAT response.

Caption: Leaders of the Fort Bend Regional SWAT Team are shown with the team's new BearCat. They include, from left, Capt. Scott Soland, Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office and West Division Commander; Sgt. Wayne Coleman, Sugar Land Police Department, East Division; Sgt. Kurt Maxheimer, Missouri City Police Department, East Division; Sgt. Brian Baker, Rosenberg Police Department, West Division; Sgt. Patrick Herman, Stafford Police Department; Capt. James Davis, Sugar Land Police Department and East Division Commander; and Sgt. Reggie Powell, Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office, West Division.