Bellingham Police buying this new ‘rescue’ vehicle for SWAT, protection from gunfire

Bellingham Police are buying a new armored vehicle to complement the department’s BearCat truck that has been used in a variety of emergencies, from hostage situations to urban unrest and floodwater rescues.

Chief Rebecca Mertzig told the City Council about the planned $296,000 purchase of a new “rescue vehicle” in a Committee of the Whole meeting Monday, Aug. 29.

“The rescue vehicle is primarily a de-escalation tool that also provides protection for people in the area of a crisis situation,” Mertzig said. “Having de-escalation equipment such as this provides time, distance and shielding in order to minimize the likelihood of the need for deadly force.”

It also will be helpful in moving the department’s tactical unit, Mertzig said.

“In order to transport our entire SWAT team to a location safely, two vehicles are needed,” she said.

Even though the new truck will be armored, it is not a military vehicle and is not military surplus, said police Lt. Claudia Murphy.

“It is, however, the standard armored vehicle for use among U.S. law-enforcement agencies,” Murphy told The Bellingham Herald.

“It is specifically designed for law-enforcement rescue and tactical operations. It provides a safety platform from which rescues, communications, de-escalation efforts as well as — if needed — tactical operations can be initiated. The open floor plan allows for a multitude of operational needs, including assistance in evacuating innocent civilians during a dangerous event, rescuing downed personnel, and the opportunity for our (firefighter-paramedics) to work on injured civilians or officers while being transported from an active scene, all while being protected by armor,” Murphy said in an email.

Bellingham’s BearCat truck has been used to rescue victims from floodwaters in November 2021, in hostage situations, and to assist officers when several hundred Western Washington University students rioted in October 2013, according to Mertzig and previous Bellingham Herald reporting.

It holds between six and 10 officers, depending on the kind of equipment they need, Murphy said.

Mertzig told the council that the BearCat is seeing more use and the department wants “redundancy,” or backup, for a “critical” piece of equipment.

“It is not an armed vehicle but it is armored in the sense that it offers ballistic protection,” Mertzig said.

“We are deliberate and thoughtful in the deployment of the rescue vehicle. With the legislative changes in 2020 and 2021, there was a clear message of prioritizing de-escalation and our deployments reflect that,” she said.

”It allows us to get crisis responder behavioral health professionals and paramedics safely to a location and allows us to rescue victims and bystanders from danger. It is the only vehicle in our fleet that offers legitimate protection from gunfire or any other weapon,” Mertzig said.