Dramatic shootout spurred Providence police to purchase new 'Bearcat' vehicle

[@blexyyt1887]

Bet they charge everyone going 1 up the speed limit with a speed ticket.💀🤣

[@jeremyczanstke5]

That’s crazy my county has more bearcats then the entire state of Rhode Island lol

[@CODTerracraft]

Crazy to think this country’s police needs military equipment to properly do their job…

[@jeremyczanstke5]

@@CODTerracraft not really we have a lot of crazy psychotic people who live here. Officer and civilian safety is the #1 priority. These types of vehicles are use by police everywhere. Have you ever seen German swat/riot trucks? They make our bearcats look tiny.

[@flightstatic4662]

@@jeremyczanstke5 more crazy that your county has a mental health system that bad

[@thisiconisactuallygoofysfa9960]

@@CODTerracraftI Wanna see you in their shoes

[@jeremyczanstke5]

@@flightstatic4662 more like my entire state. It’s pretty sad tbh

[@McPoshSquatch]

In other words they were outmatched! Sad what this once great country has turned into. Can't go anywhere without worrying about some nut job.

[@joecarlson6428]

The vehicle is to safe officers and civilian lives. As the Colonel pointed out officers body armor. So the issue isn't about appearance but what rule police operate under. They follow use of force policy and rules. Military operate under rules of engagement and laws governing war. There rules are very different from one another. I have served under both. Tell the media to stop making judgments based on appearance and look at the facts. Military equipment doesn't turn the police into a para-military force. This equipment just allows the police to better and more safely serve there communities.

[@Lando_P1]

I’m happy our govt is paying to protect officers.

[@Trollinskyy]

They also protect illegals and allow them to become police and pull you over. Interesting

[@TheDhoffman1983]

If they could only do the same for citizens.

[@Lando_P1]

@@TheDhoffman1983 bearcats are used during active shooter situations to evacuate citizens.

[@TheDhoffman1983]

@@Lando_P1 tell that to mr. Malinowskis wife. The atf, and 10 car loads of officers, cut the internet, taped the ring door bells, zero body cameras on, with a bear Cat, murdered him with in 58 seconds.

[@jasonhas7456]

This looks like a standing army

[@robertmcnearny9222]

Fortunately this shit is illegal in Washington state. Police departments shouldnt have military equipment

[@morninmichigan1824]

Bearcats aren't built with the military in mind. They're intended for Law Enforcement Tactical teams. Bearcats are only ever used when there is substantial enough risk to officers; such as in civil disturbances, riots, raids on homes that may have armed suspects, home invasions, etc etc. Equipment like this is absolutely necessary with how some Police Agencies have to operate now, not for the rudimentary patrol officers; but for tactical teams, it absolutely is; this isn't a US only thing, Canada also utilizes armored vehicle to protect their tactical units. Also, after reading up on RCW 10.116.040, or the penal law about Military Equipment in Washington state; these vehicles are lawful to be in possession by Law Enforcement agencies and are not considered military equipment. If they had a bearcat that was armed with a turret (which almost none are), then it would be illegal. Or if the vehicle had any other form of armaments. Source; to quote, ""Military Equipment" means rifles of .50 caliber or greater, machine guns, armed helicopters, armed or armored drones, armed vessels, armed vehicles, armed aircraft, tanks, long range acoustic hailing devices, rockets, rocket launchers, bayonets, grenades, missiles, directed energy systems, and electromagnetic spectrum weapons." - RCW 10.116.040 section 3(a) on Washington's Government Website under the RCW tab, TO CLARIFY; "ARMED" and "ARMORED" are two different words, and as you can read; are indeed used separately in the law.

[@johnconverse2040]

It's designed for civilian police agencies. Granted, it costs a lot, but it's not a surplus military vehicle. By the way, if you want someone to fire 116 rounds at you as occurred in Providence with the cops using a State Police Bearcat for cover, perhaps you could join up and show PPD how it should be done. By the way. how is crime in Washington State?

[@Peacereader11]

Doesn’t king county have some of these as well?

[@morninmichigan1824]

@@Peacereader11 I believe so, as well as Pierce County and WSP (I think). I'm guessing a lot of counties and metropolitan cities have at least one.

[@FDCNC]

I mean no disrespect but with just a bit of research, you would have realized that what you stated is not true. Before the Bearcat was designed and put into service, SWAT teams used legitimate surplus military vehicles to conduct search warrants or retrofitted bread trucks. The Bearcat was designed for law enforcement with the aid of LAPD SWAT because of the 1997 Bank of America shootout, the shootout exposed the LAPD's lack of good armored vehicles because they literally had to borrow an armored Cash-In-Transit vehicle from a company. There are versions of the Bearcat that are built for the military but none of those have ever been sold to law enforcement in America.

[@elmerhall7326]

Sorry but no it only works for the common criminal lol let’s just say that some people here deep in West Virginia with some friends from Mexico have some heavy weapons like m72law ,50cal and some home made tanarite explosives that can work over that truck in seconds just to say the least. People down here have been waiting for a fight with the Feds for years and boy have they been stocking up for a fight and in West Virginia it a ambush nightmare

[@Anonymous-pm7jf]

Crappy journalism. Asking the chief if this waste of money is necessary. What did you think he was going to say?

[@jratom8211]

How is it a waste of money if it could potentially save lives? Most large police departments in the U.S either own or have access to a Bearcat in order to protect officers and civilians from gunfire as well as rescue operations for natural disasters. There are several videos online of Police officers using the armored Bearcat as cover from bullets, and if they had been using a standard patrol car, they would either be dead or seriously injured, regardless of body armor. I do understand that armored SUVs exist and are usually cheaper that the Bearcat, however, they don't have enough storage to carry all of the necessary gear and they can't usually seat more than 4 people comfortably, so you would have to buy more than 1 which would intern cost more than the price of a single Bearcat. I hope I'm not being rude, just trying to help 😃

[@11_CVPI]

It only work for situations like this & that doesn't happen everyday not for everyday use so it's not for protecting the public

[@smorris281]

Does PPD really need this? Good god. My dept doesn’t even need one. What a waste of taxpayer funds.

[@Jazzified1541]

As stated, it was paid for by speed camera revenue.

[@seth3137]

🤡

[@aaronstreeval3910]

My god it took a gun battle with a suspect who fired over 100 rounds with police for the providence police to figure out they needed a damn armored vehicle. And we have nitwits like you asking if this is necessary. For a state capitals police department.

[@smorris281]

@@Jazzified1541 Those speeders were taxpayers, one way or another, at least, most of them. It still stands, they don't need it.

[@Jazzified1541]

@@smorris281 If they bought a bearcat they need it

[@joeyork9891]

Cowards This is why people call for defunding And Reform

[@aaronstreeval3910]

Annnnnnd how well has that defunding gone for cities stupid enough to try it. 😂

[@joeyork9891]

@@aaronstreeval3910 None have tried it. There's no reason cops should make more the combat soldiers. Especially the ones who are just on stand by.

[@aaronstreeval3910]

@@joeyork9891 so now that I have it established. The fact cities have tried it. How well did it go for em ….. ?

[@Dan-od4bd]

@@joeyork9891 Sir have you ever been in a shootout? Have you ever watched bodycam footage where the bearcat is the only viable cover to protect officers who are trying to rescue a hostage from a deranged criminal with a rifle?

[@morninmichigan1824]

So, Police wanting to NOT DIE during their job makes them a coward? No. What a coward would do is sit and hide while people died or were at risk of dying. KEEP IN MIND; not breaching a building with people at gunpoint by suspects is not cowardice, it is refusing to take the risk of putting innocent people in danger by moving in, this is why negotiators are a thing in most Police Agencies that have the budget for a tactical unit. The cops at Uvalde were cowards, any cop who refuses to intervene during an incident that has an imminent threat to people (aside from what was stated) is besides a few specific instances, in my opinion; a coward.

[@dotcorbeil6266]

Can you say waste of money

[@spstevencrp9]

Looks safe in rhode island

[@spg5658]

One of the safest states in the country actually. Wonderful place

[@spstevencrp9]

@spg5658 what about the bear cat military vehicle the police needed to buy for the shootouts

[@spg5658]

@@spstevencrp9 your odds of being a victim of a shootout in Rhode Island are lower than your odds of being struck by lightning

[@newnamesameperson397]

Gotta find a way to embezzle money somehow

[@bps804]

If the cops did not act like assholes they would not need to hide behind an armored vehicle

[@TheDhoffman1983]

What's next ? M1 Abrams used against civilians ?

[@aaronstreeval3910]

Ask the people of San Diego how much they would have loved their police to have a main battle tank back in 1995 The answers would shock you

[@LoonaMoonlight-bv2ri]

Police need to protect themselves.. I dig it... Breezy BeEazy The Wise Warrior 💯 stopped by 😎👍

[@barrylafleur8526]

Waste of money.

[@Lando_P1]

Much cheaper than a single life in an active shooter situation.

[@barrylafleur8526]

@@Lando_P1 How so?

[@barrylafleur8526]

@@Lando_P1 Police don't give a fork about lives; they signed up to kill people with their guns.

[@Lando_P1]

@@barrylafleur8526 if we disregard the fact that a human life of a citizen saved or police officer saved has endless generations of opportunity cost to our community and their loved ones, the payout to families of lost officers, increased insurance costs, lost work time following a co-worker death, and potential legal costs all add up to less than a bearcat.

[@Lando_P1]

@@barrylafleur8526 you’re a real sick puppy to devalue human life. You never know if you’ll be taking cover behind this bearcat one day. Active shooter situations happen.

[@slangdaboe7478]

Lol

[@preshisify1]

😑☕🗽🇺🇲

[@TheHaagendazs0]

Too much guns in providence.

[@Lando_P1]

Too much crime. Guns are inanimate objects.

[@northernontariowacko]

Too much guns everywhere in the us. Just today again. 3 killed, 10 injured in Arkansas shooting. Gladly never hear of anything like that here in Canada

[@Lando_P1]

@@northernontariowacko You have more knife violence than we do. Getting rid of inanimate objects doesn’t fix mental health problems and criminal issues.

[@Lando_P1]

@@northernontariowacko Your govt says to leave car keys in the car because so many people are getting killed in their Canadian homes just to steal cars.

[@bernadettealmeida2847]

Be ready at all times ,our police go out everyday protecting the citizens,today we are living unknown issues all over our country ,the police and all law enforcers also need to be protected 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸