‘This is not a tank’: Omaha council OKs purchase of OPD armored vehicle

By Jessica Wade

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    OMAHA, Nebraska (Omaha World-Herald) — The Omaha Police Department is getting a new armored vehicle.

The $341,678 Lenco BearCat G3, unanimously approved by the City Council on Tuesday, will replace an armored vehicle used by the department’s SWAT team since 2006.

Before the council’s approval, Omaha Deputy Chief Scott Gray and Lt. Jake Ritonya advocated for the purchase and addressed significant public pushback shared on social media last week.

A number of tweets, including one from State Sen. Megan Hunt, questioned the cost and need for the vehicle.

“No police department in Nebraska needs an armored vehicle. This is a waste of taxpayer money and an affront to public trust,” Hunt tweeted.

One opponent spoke during Tuesday’s City Council meeting to raise concerns over the public perception of the armored vehicle as militarization of the police.

Omaha police have used the vehicle 137 times in the past year, often for high-risk warrants, barricades, hostage rescue or event security, Ritonya said.

Gray said the vehicle is meant to protect officers.

“It is not in any way some kind of offensive military vehicle like it’s been portrayed by some,” Gray said.

The department’s current vehicle is 17 years old and encountering some serious maintenance issues, Ritonya added.

He pointed to a hostage situation at a southwest Omaha hotel last week. The truck was out for maintenance at the time and Omaha police had to borrow a similar vehicle from the FBI.

That situation ended safely, with a woman and her baby rescued and a suspect taken into custody.

“Even if we’re shot at, (the vehicle) gives us the opportunity to stay safe and maybe use a less-lethal option, or to de-escalate some things so we don’t have to take lethal action,” Ritonya said.

Councilman Brinker Harding said he received “a lot” of emails criticizing the potential purchase.

He contended that the purchase would promote public safety.

“This is not a tank,” Harding said. “This is a replacement vehicle.”

The armored vehicle will take about a year to be built, meaning it likely will roll onto Omaha streets in early 2024.

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