NYPD’s Emergency Service Unit Is Prepared For Anything With The BEAR

New York City Police Department’s Emergency Service Unit (ESU), a component of the NYPD Special Operations Bureau, performs tactical (Special Weapons and Tactics, or SWAT) and technical rescue duty for other department elements.

Members of ESU are cross-trained in multiple disciplines for police, first aid, and rescue work, and they require high-performance gear that can withstand extreme conditions and missions. One of NYPD’s most important and effective is the military-grade BEAR (Ballistic Engineered Armored Response)
truck.

The BEAR is a unique vehicle designed and produced by LENCO Industries of Pittsfield, Mass. NYPD purchased its first LENCO products back in 2004, including the agile BearCat.

However, said NAFA Regular Member James Korotki, CAFM^®, District Supervisor for the City of New York’s Department of General Services, “As our world has changed it was decided to upgrade to the BeatCat’s big brother, the BEAR.”

The vehicle is built on a heavy duty Freightliner 108SD chassis. It has the ability to withstand weapons delivering up to 7.62 armor-piercing and .50 caliber BMG (Browning machine gun) ammunition. “This is critical to ESU’s mission of protecting members who are possibly encountering gunfire that might be out of the norm, especially in this age of the ‘active shooter’ phenomenon,” Korotki said.

With a special ramp mounted on top called MARS (Mobile Adjustable Ramp System), the BEAR gives ESU members the ability to use a tactical/rescue system with dual side-byside hydraulically controlled ramps to access elevated positions and possibly rescue members of the service or confront persons intent on lethal activities.

ESU currently has one BEAR in its inventory, purchased in 2012, but is expected to take delivery of another in the near future.

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