The Stamford police department’ s program, the BearCat armored rescue vehicle, is a program with took 3 years of fundraising. The nine-ton vehicle, capable of carrying 10 officers and cost $230,000. The vehicle was paid for with asset forfeiture funds and $25,000 in donations through the Stamford Police Foundation.
With the help of fundraising from the Stamford Police Foundation, the City’s Police Department was able to purchase a heavily armed vehicle specifically for the tactical team to use during a crisis or critical incident. This vehicle helps to protect officers in dangerous situations and provides them with better response in shooting incidents.
The Bear Cat Specifics
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, gun-ports, roof hatches/turret and agency specific equipment and/or modifications such as lights/sirens/battering ram/winches/thermal cameras and spot lights.
