Valley armed with B.E.A.R. vehicle

EDINBURG — As the old adage goes, it’s better to have a gun and not need it, than to need a gun and not have it.

With that in mind, say hello to the B.E.A.R. — the Rio Grande Valley’s newest tool to fight potentially violent standoffs and manhunts.

The armor-plated vehicle stands more than 12 feet tall and can carry at least three six-member SWAT teams inside — or rescue 35 schoolchildren.

A detachable battering ram at the front of the vehicle promises to smash through suspected drug cartel members’ reinforced lairs or other structures. Eight openings in the B.E.A.R.’s bulletproof walls and windows give law enforcement the ability to return fire.

The vehicle is designed to withstand armor-piercing rounds, grenades — even roadside bombs like those seen by troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A turret that rises through the B.E.A.R.’s ceiling even allows officers to mount a machine gun, if needed.
“It’s a real neat vehicle,” Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño said.

Treviño introduced the vehicle last week. Purchased entirely with federal funds, the Lenco B.E.A.R. — Ballistic Engineered Armored Response vehicle — is the first of its kind for law enforcement agencies south of San Antonio.

The B.E.A.R. came with a $346,000 price tag — more than most homes in the Valley, let alone many RVs driven by Winter Texans.

Treviño defended the purchase, given that no local money was spent — the U.S. Department of Homeland Security gave the sheriff’s office a $1.6 million Operation Stonegarden grant to cover the cost last year. Stonegarden funds go to local law enforcement to fight border violence.

“The people of Hidalgo County did not have to lay down one cent for this,” Treviño said.

Most larger law enforcement agencies across the country have vehicles to quell standoffs, with the B.E.A.R. providing cover when they turn violent. Beyond protecting the cops, the vehicle can also be used to rescue hostages.

Pittsfield, Mass.-based Lenco Industries Inc. has sold about 500 of the B.E.A.R. vehicles and its smaller variant, the BearCat, since its inception in 1999, company president Len Light said.

Lenco’s customers initially came under criticism when the vehicles started rolling out because of their cost, Light said. But in the past decade, no firearm or explosive has breached the Lenco vehicles’ armor.

“These have been lifesavers,” he said.

Armed standoffs are not part of daily life in the Valley, but they have occurred, and with the B.E.A.R., “you know your men, your SWAT team and the public is going to be secure,” the sheriff said.

“Hopefully we’ll never have to run up against that,” Treviño said of armed standoffs. “But, you never know.”

The B.E.A.R. also comes equipped with an infrared camera that will allow SWAT teams to hunt down criminals who may be hiding out in rough terrain, even at night. State and federal helicopter units use the same technology during manhunts along the border.

Treviño said the B.E.A.R. will be available for any law enforcement agency in South Texas to use in hostile situations — should the need arise.

“We’ll even pay for the gas,” he said.
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Jared Taylor covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4439.