MUSKOGEE, Okla. — Whether it’s flooding or law enforcement activity, Muskogee now has a new piece of equipment to help with emergency responses. It’s called the Bearcat and police say it can go through anything and go anywhere.
The Bearcat is bulletproof, can hold up to 10 people and be dispatched anywhere in the city. Mayor Marlon Coleman said it replaces another piece of police department equipment.
“This will be able to respond faster to incidents," Coleman said. "It can go over bridges, it can go over every city street. It’s a better tactical piece of equipment. It has more maneuverability, whereas the equipment that was donated to us through surplus can do none of that."
He said one of the reasons the city chose to buy the Bearcat is for police safety.
“We had instances with the old equipment where officers were actually being fired on but the doors on the old equipment were so heavy that they couldn’t even barricade themselves against the firing and machinery,” said Coleman.
The Bearcat will also help with flood response.
“It can go through floodwaters pretty easily. It has no problem with terrain, it’s built for all-terrain, all-weather, it doesn’t matter what time of year we’re in or what season we’re in. It can meet the needs of the emergency at that time."
And from the bulletproof windows to multiple cameras offering 360-degree views, police say the Bearcat will help in countless emergency response situations.
“There’s red and blue lights all around it," said Muskogee Special Ops, Drew Branan. "We have four spotlights on each corner, where we can light up houses, vehicles, whatever we’re responding to. It’s got a couple different breaching heads that we can put on the front of the truck that we can push through like a door."
Coleman said they are keeping the old tank that the Bearcat replaces, but it will be reserved for larger disasters. The Bearcat cost around $320,000 and was paid for by the city along with a grant from the City of Muskogee Foundation.
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