Montgomery County’s multi-jurisdictional SWAT team is gearing up with a new armored vehicle equipped to provide trauma care.
The Lenco Bearcat Rescue unit replaces the current armored personnel carrier which is more than 20 years old but will be retained as a supplementary vehicle. The new carrier is the standard vehicle used by SWAT teams across the country and federal agencies in high-risk responses.
“Unfortunately, in the past couple of years we’ve been involved in the kind of situations where we needed that type of armor,” said Todd Walsh, the team’s deputy commander.
The 21-member team consists of officers from the Crawfordsville Police Department and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office as well as tactical paramedics from the Crawfordsville Fire Department.
With the trauma equipment, the tactical paramedics will be equipped to rescue injured people in a “hot situation” where officers are engaging with a suspect. During one recent incident, it took three hours for the Indiana State Police’s Bearcat unit to mobilize and respond to the scene, said Shari Harrington, Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency director.
The vehicle is being purchased through a $334,110 grant from the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.
In a separate IDHS grant, the emergency management agency received funding for additional key fob door lock systems and video surveillance at its Elmore Street facilities.
