Inside Look At New Armored Vehicles Used During SWAT Standoffs
CARVER (CBS) - Members of SEMLEC, the Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council, gave WBZ an inside look at heavy equipment they use during SWAT situations.
The team has been deployed several times within the last few months for armed standoffs in the southern part of the state.
"We use these vehicles after a certain evaluation process has taken place," said Bridgewater Police Chief Christopher D. Delmonte.
SEMLEC, uses several pieces of equipment including the mobile command unit, an armored truck called a Bearcat and an armored Caterpillar called The Rook. The Rook has several attachments and is able to move into tight spaces.
"This piece is a bullet resistant wall they can stay behind," said Carver Police Chief Marc Duphily.
Duphily said these vehicles aren't military tanks and aren't armed. He tells critics their designed to protect officers.
"At the end of the day we don't want to have another Sean Gannon or another incident where we lose a police officer," said Duphily.
SEMLEC is made up of 30 communities in Bristol and Plymouth counties.
