A Placer County Sheriff’s Department BearCat armored vehicle drives down Greenbrae Road in Rocklin, California, on July 9, 2023. Sara Nevis / The Sacramento Bee via AP
Brunswick officials on Tuesday again delayed a decision on buying an armored truck for the police department.
Police Chief Scott Stewart last month asked the council to approve spending $380,000 on a new BearCat to replace the department’s 1979 Peacekeeper armored truck, which the U.S. military donated to the town. Stewart said the Peacekeeper frequently breaks down and replacement parts are hard to come by. The BearCat is produced by Massachusetts-based Lenco, which makes several versions for law enforcement and the military.
The council earlier this month said it wanted to hear the community’s opinion, which prompted Tuesday’s public hearing. After hearing divided opinions, the council ultimately directed the Finance Committee to review the potential purchase next month before making a decision.
Resident Joseph de Rivera said Brunswick doesn’t need an armored truck, which he argued blurs the line between police and the military.
“The money for an armored vehicle would be much better spent on prevention and outreach,” he said. “We don’t decrease the homicide rate by having an armored vehicle. We decrease the homicide rate by paying for more counselors in schools.”
Resident Clark Labbe, a former police officer, said the vehicle is an investment in safety.
“If it prevents one officer from being shot or saves one life … it will pay for itself many times over,” he said.
Stewart said last year, the Peacekeeper was deployed to a domestic disturbance involving a man with a gun who wouldn’t let a woman leave a residence. Officers used the vehicle to get close to the residence; the woman eventually escaped and ran inside the truck to safety while officers apprehended the man, he said.
“This is another level of protection,” Stewart said, adding an armored truck reduces the chance officers have to resort to deadly force.
The chief said the department’s armored vehicle is an important asset for the town and region. It was deployed eight times last year, including during the Lewiston mass shooting, twice in 2022 and twice in 2021, he said. The chief said the vehicle is only used to respond to extraordinary situations, usually involving guns, and is not used to patrol the community.
Some residents testified they were against the purchase at first but have come around.
“I had no idea we even had this kind of vehicle in town,” Brenda Day said. “I was like, ‘Really? Brunswick needs this?’ But I’ve been educated in why we need it and I’m for expending these funds.”
She said if it saves even one life, it would justify the cost.
Stewart said the department plans to apply for a federal Homeland Security grant that could cover the full cost of the BearCat. The application period for the grant opens in March and awards are announced in the fall, he said, adding Lenco would need about a year to build a BearCat for the department.
Councilor Nathan MacDonald, the development and community engagement director for the Maine-based Family Violence Project, a domestic violence resource center, said he has applied for many government grants for his organization and claimed “they tend to not fund things that have already been funded.”
“I don’t think it makes sense to go through with a purchase until we have a decision letter,” he said, adding he’s opposed to the BearCat purchase.
He said he’s had 118 people contact him this month about the BearCat purchase and 93 are opposed to it.
“That says a lot,” he said. “For whatever reason, whether that be cost, militarization or spending money on social services, it’s been a pretty resounding ‘no.’
“It’s important we listen to what our constituents want.”
Councilor James Ecker said he was against the purchase at first but now is more open to the idea.
“I took a tour at the police department and learned a lot more,” he said. “What resonates with me is a lot of voices tonight that are now on the fence or have changed their mind.”
The Finance Committee will review the purchase at its next meeting on March 21. Councilors said it will give officials more time to review how it would affect the town’s budget.
Councilor Steve Weems noted there are strong opinions on both sides of the issue and more review will benefit the process.
“It gives us a little room to be thoughtful about it,” he said.
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