The Hancock County Board of Commissioners has approved the purchase of a new armored vehicle for the sheriff’s office.

The type of BearCat (Ballistic Engineered Armored Response Counter Attack Truck) armored tactical vehicle the county has decided to purchase, a BearCat G3, will cost around $250,000.

The purchase will be made with federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.

Lt. Mark Price, with the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, says their current armored carrier dates back to the early 1980s and is an armored car that was once owned by a company that did money runs for local banks.

He says their current vehicle has been experiencing some mechanical issues and can’t go off-road and the new vehicle would be better equipped to do that.

He says the new armored vehicle will be very valuable in any scenario involving officer safety, like a barricaded subject with a gun and having to make an approach.

As Lt. Price mentioned in the audio above the armored vehicle would also give officers some cover while making an approach and also help them reach an officer who may have been injured at a scene that is still active.

The City of Findlay may reimburse the county for half of the purchase so their police officers could also utilize the vehicle when needed.

(above pic courtesy of Lenco Armored Vehicles)