By Jonathan Bym
Insider Staff Writer
The Moore County Sheriff’s Office has responded to local hostage and standoff situations with as many options as the department possesses, but there has always been one element missing in its response.
In times where a secured entry was needed, the Sheriff’s Office has used its connection with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office to use its armored tactical vehicle. Now, after 20-plus months of waiting, the Lenco BearCat G3 tactical vehicle, named “Big Jake,” is readily available for the Sheriff’s Office and the Special Response Team (SRT).
“I hope we don’t ever need it, but the unfortunate part is we’ve got to have this equipment to have in case you need it. The worst feeling in the world is to need something and ain’t got it,” Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields said. “You’ve got to wait on another county or somewhere to get help to come in. Our county is big enough that we’ve got to be self-supporting in all aspects.”
The Moore County Board of Commissioners in early 2023 approved the more than $300,700 for the purchase and delivery of the 23,000-pound armored vehicle. The timeline for the delivery of the vehicle was delayed several times from the Massachusetts-based production facility.
“There was a U.S. government contract where they were sending them overseas,” Moore County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Andy Conway said. “There’s a federal law that puts them above domestic product, so we kept getting pushed back.”
Once it was finally completed, the Sheriff’s Office sent two of the SRT leaders to the plant to complete final inspection and training.
“We can do everything from the truck,” Capt. Adam Goins said. “We’ve used Richmond’s several times, and it’s a great asset to the team.”
The vehicle was transported to Moore County on Oct. 23, and initial training came from Richmond County’s response team, which uses a similar model of BearCat.
“It is a specialty vehicle, so everybody doesn’t jump in and drive it. There are designated drivers for it. It’s a high-dollar piece of equipment. I don’t want to tear it up, and I don’t want any of our people or citizens to get hurt when we are responding if they don’t know how to drive it,” Fields said.
Goins said that the three drivers selected have experience driving firetrucks and tractor-trailers.
The BearCat is built on a Ford F-550 frame with a 6.7-liter powerstroke diesel engine. It is fully armored to protect against .308 caliber bullets and higher, Conway said, and rides on runflat tires. A winch on the front can pull up 18,000 pounds. The winch can be traded out with a spear extension that can be used to deposit chemical munitions, such as tear gas, into structures. Eight to 10 SRT officers can ride in the vehicle.
In the last month, it has already been put to use, and as an aid for neighboring departments.
“It’s a great piece of equipment that we use to save our officers and put them out of harm’s way,” Fields said. “We used it the week before last on a high-arrest entry that we were assisting the ATF and other agencies over in Montgomery County. The safety of it is to have our driver in the vehicle at all times.”
The weight also makes it a vehicle that has versatile use for other types of calls.
“We can use it for rescue groups with high water stuff. Because of the weight, we can go into water like that. They use them down east in different places for high water rescues,” Fields said.
Before its delivery, the SRT used a panel van with expired bulletproof vests on the inside to provide protection. An ensured layer of protection is now there when the SRT is deployed.
“It was some type of security, but nothing like this,” Fields said. “Other municipalities in the county are excited about it because it is here and available. If we need to respond to assist, we’ll be en route.”
As far as the name, Fields’ affinity with actor John Wayne led to the behemoth on four wheels being named after the 1971 film starring Wayne.
“Every piece of equipment has to have a name, and I’m a big John Wayne fan. Big Jake, I felt, was a very suitable name for it,” Fields said. “When we are out here and we need it, we will say, ‘Get Big Jake.’ It don’t alert everybody as bad.”
Contact Jonathan Bym at (910) 693-2470 or jonathan@thepilot.com.
