$350,000 Grant Secured for Bensalem Twp, Police Department to Improve Response Times for Special Units

The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s Community and Economic Assistance Program recently announced a  $350,000.00 grant for the Bensalem Police Department to acquire a state-of- the art rescue vehicle that will also serve county regional special units.

The funds will go towards the purchase of Lenco BearCat  which will serve all three Bucks County regional special units and tactical (SWAT) teams and Bensalem authorities.

The specialized vehicle is a critical tool designed for modern law enforcement. It enables tactical officers to safely approach and manage hostile situations, safeguarding civilians and officers during high-risk incidents such as terrorist threats, hostage scenarios and large-scale confrontations. officials say.

Bucks County’s three SWAT teams share a single BearCat that has been in service for more than 15 years, officials say. It’s based out of central Bucks County, which can lead to response times of up to two hours, particularly for incidents in the southern part of the county. The addition of the new vehicle, which will be stationed in Bensalem Twp., will drastically reduce response times, particularly in the densely populated southern regions of the county and potentially end public safety threats much sooner.