The Bloomington City Council Monday night approved purchasing an armored security vehicle for use by police and Bloomington’s SWAT team to assist in a variety of emergency situations.
The BearCat, manufactured by Lenco Armored Vehicles of Pittsfield, Mass., will cost $249,229, and take about a year to manufacture. Its highest-profile use will be assisting SWAT in dealing with an armed suspect. But it also will come in handy in rescuing people during heavy snows and flooding, said police.
Monday’s 6-2 vote, with Jenna Kearns, Ward 1, and Tom Crumpler, Ward 9, voting "no," followed discussion over concerns an armored vehicle might seem militaristic.
“It’s not a tank,” said Ward 7 council member Mollie Ward. “It’s an armored vehicle, not an armed vehicle.”
Police Chief Jamal Simington told the council there were five instances last year and six this year when such a vehicle could have made S.W.A.T. deployments safer. Also, there were 39 times in the past five years, not accounting for instances it could have been used to aid Normal, McLean County or the Illinois State University police, he said.
Over the past three years, Simington said it could have been used to help stranded motorists caught in snow drifts, ditches and pools of high water during at least eight major weather events.
Simington said the BearCat will be available for use by other law enforcement agencies — a common courtesy that extends both ways, similar to mutual aid provided by neighboring fire departments.
The potential sharing of the vehicle is one recent example of law enforcement pooling tactical resources. A recent draft intergovernmental agreement could add sheriff’s deputies to the Bloomington S.W.A.T team.
The BearCat spurred a good deal of conversation among council members and the community about the perception that the police would appear military.
Ward said she is “concerned about increasing levels of militarization and the perceptions that creates,” but felt “reassured” after discussing the proposed purchase with Simington, along with the fact that the vehicle is not armed.
Simington acknowledged those concerns, and said he’s met with organizations, including the local NAACP, Not In Our Town and Black Lives Matter, among others. And while he acknowledged a level of apprehension, he said those conversations were positive, including some outright support.
Simington said many communities in the area have a similar vehicle, the smallest being Pontiac. Meanwhile, Bloomington’s current “tactical” vehicle has no armor to protect against bullets — or even a seat belt.
The lack of safety features means the department hasn’t been able to bring crisis negotiators or fire department tactical medics into “hot zones” — areas where they could potentially be shot at. The current vehicle also isn’t four-wheel drive, limiting its use for rescue.
Crumpler, who voted against the vehicle, said his constituents are supportive of the police, but he wished he had more time to gauge their support. Most of what he hears are concerns around lighting and trees in parks, along with signs around busy curves.
“It just seems like a real expense,” he said.
