Thursday, July 2, 2009

Burleson unveils incident response armored vehicle purchased with federal grant

By Pegasus News wire

The Burleson Police Department unveiled the city’s newest response truck, a Lenco Bearcat four-wheel-drive armored vehicle. The Bearcat was purchased with a $227,411 Fiscal Year 2008 Homeland Security Grant.

Burleson has mutual aid agreements with more than 100 law enforcement agencies. Burleson’s SWAT team has responded to assist other agencies that do not have SWAT teams or whose SWAT team needs backup. Response scenarios include potential incidents at Somervell County’s nuclear power plant, with the area’s railways, natural gas wells and Spinks Airport as well as deployment with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), United States Marshal Service, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Secret Service.

According to the grant, “The vehicle will allow officers to respond with the ability to detect nuclear and explosive gas weapons. The vehicle will protect officers from the threat of small arms fire and explosive devices. Officers will be able to gain command and control through the use of this vehicle. This vehicle provides a much needed tool for officers to safely conduct these operations whether they are terrorist-related, tactical in nature, or a natural disaster.”

The objective of the Incident Response Vehicle is to continue to assess public surveillance, detection and response systems against national and international best practice models through the use and coordination of four specialized subcommittees including Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD), Hazardous Materials (HazMat), and Urban Search and Rescue (USAR).

Training of Burleson officers as well as officers of surrounding agencies will be an ongoing process so all tactical teams will be able to promptly deploy and provide for the safety of officers and citizens.

Source: City of Burleson

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