Fresno Police to enhance safety with new armored rescue vehicle

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - The Fresno Police Department has added a almighty caller instrumentality to its tactical fleet: a state-of-the-art Lenco BearCat designed to support officers and civilians during high-risk situations.

The armored vehicle, which arrived conscionable 2 weeks ago, is engineered to grip immoderate of the astir unsafe calls officers whitethorn look — from barricaded suspects to progressive shooter scenarios.

“The ballistic capabilities are inactive the same,” said Lt. Brian Pierce, SWAT commandant with the Fresno Police Department. “However, they've engineered a batch of the angles that truly assistance with slug deflection.”

This latest-generation BearCat offers enhanced interior abstraction capable to transportation a afloat SWAT squad oregon adjacent evacuate civilians from unsafe zones. It’s besides equipped with precocious technology, including a 360-degree camera strategy that gives officers a implicit presumption of their surroundings.

Fresno present owns 2 BearCats: 1 specifically assigned to the Fresno Police Department, and different shared with spouse agencies similar the Fresno County Sheriff's Office and Clovis Police Department.

“This 1 is solely owned by Fresno PD,” Pierce said. “The different 1 is simply a shared BearCat amongst us, Fresno SO, and Clovis PD.”

While the BearCat’s imposing beingness mightiness look intimidating, officers accidental it's often utilized arsenic a de-escalation instrumentality signaling that SWAT is connected country and encouraging suspects to surrender peacefully.

“It tin astatine times de-escalate the concern and person idiosyncratic travel retired and surrender to america with nary usage of force, nary shots fired, nothing,” Pierce said.

The BearCat volition beryllium deployed to high-risk calls, including situations involving equipped suspects, barricades, oregon different captious incidents wherever serviceman and nationalist information are astatine stake.

Beyond tactical advantages, Fresno Police accidental the caller conveyance is simply a reflection of the city’s concern successful information and preparedness.

“It shows the metropolis is investing successful the information of its officers and the community,” said Lt. Pierce. “That’s our mission—keeping the assemblage safe.”