Brunswick town councilors on Tuesday night unanimously voted to send the police department’s proposal to spend $380,000 on a new armored vehicle to be considered by the finance committee.
Earlier this year, the department requested to use funds from its vehicle reserve to retire its current armored vehicle — which is more than 30 years old and prone to breaking down — and replace it with a new one known as the Lenco BearCat that’s designed for police use and can fit 10-12 officers.
The current vehicle, which is known as the Peacemaker, was deployed eight times in 2023 and has been towed twice in the past year, Chief Scott Stewart has said. If the proposal is approved, it would take some time before Brunswick can get its hands on the BearCat: the manufacturer estimates that it could take nearly a year to deliver a new one.
On Tuesday, the council heard a mix of opinions on the purchase.
About a dozen residents were either against the resolution or in favor of sending it to the finance committee. Some didn’t think the town should have an armored vehicle at all. Others thought it was necessary, but that the cost of the BearCat was too great for Brunswick to bear on its own. They said the town should look into splitting the cost with nearby towns or looking for grants.
About 10 other attendees spoke in favor of the purchase. Many said the price is already justified if the BearCat saves even one life. Shaun Hogan, a former U.S. Navy police officer who previously served in Iraq, said an armored vehicle like the BearCat saved his own life once.
“One of these came to my rescue. I was in an open area, no cover. Outmanned, it was a hostile situation,” Hogan said. “And I can’t describe to you the wash of security and safety that came over me when our [Special Response Team] came and literally put their vehicle between me and the guys who I was working with, and the bad guys who wanted to do us harm.”
Councilors ultimately decided that looking for grants or ways to split the cost for the BearCat was best, and they sent the resolution to the finance committee.
Councilor Nathan MacDonald was the group’s sole member to previously vote against holding the public hearing. On Tuesday, he said if the police department was going to look for grants for the BearCat, the town should wait to purchase it until after confirming whether that funding would come.
“It is very difficult to get a grant after you’ve already purchased a vehicle because, ‘You clearly can afford it,’ is what the federal government tends to say,” MacDonald said.
The Peacekeeper has mostly been used in armed standoff situations, along with a few manhunts. It was deployed after the mass shooting in Lewiston during the search for Robert Card II. But in a previous interview, Stewart said “we crossed our fingers” that the vehicle would even make it to Lewiston, 20 miles away.
Stewart has also said the BearCat would be a regional asset, since it could help other communities such as Topsham and Bath respond to violent incidents. No other midcoast community has an armored vehicle, and the next closest ones are in Augusta and Portland.
