Stanislaus County, CA – Sgt. Mike Radford and his fellow SWAT team members said they enjoyed their cross-country drive in their new truck.
The ride was a little bumpy, but what could they expect from the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department’s new armored vehicle: a menacing, black, 25,000-pound truck.
“It’s built for safety, not for comfort,” he said. “(Other drivers) either slowed down to take a look or had a double-take. No one really knows what it is, but they’re all amazed by it.”
Radford, a supervisor on the sheriff’s Special Weapons And Tactics team, and his travel partners were returning from the Massachusetts factory where the $270,000 vehicle was built.
The Lenco ballistic engineered armored response vehicle, or the BEAR, is the latest addition to the department’s fleet. It’s the SWAT team’s first specially designed armored truck, and it frees the department from having to borrow a truck from nearby law enforcement agencies.