Fort Worth SWAT officers get new armored vehicle designed to provide more protection
The new vehicle purchased with federal grant funds for the Fort Worth SWAT unit is called the Rook.
The Rook is bullet-proof and designed to keep officers safe, officers said.
“Fort Worth is the first agency in Texas to have it,” SWAT commander, Lt. Todd Plowman said.
The Rook is a regional asset that any department in North Texas can use it if they need it, Plowman said. All the police department officials have to do is call. The Rook cost about $315,000 and has been in Fort Worth for about a month, Plowman said.
The Rook was deployed Friday during a barricaded suspect situation in the 700 block of Leisure Drive, Plowman said. Officers were taking fire from a suspect inside a mobile home, but the situation was resolved without actually using the vehicle, Plowman said.
“It allows us to get closer to the situation and keeps us from getting shot at so we can get to you faster,” Plowman said. “It keeps the suspect safe too. If we can get to him and we feel safe, there is much less of a chance that the suspect will be injured.”
Fort Worth residents should not feel as though the vehicle represents an escalation of militarization of the police department, Plowman said. The faster police can get to someone in danger and the safer that officer can be kept during the process, the more likely the victim will be uninjured, according to Plowman.
“I don’t think the general public realizes how often our officers get shot at, especially in tactical situations while they are performing their common legal duties as a police officer,” Plowman said. “This is a defensive weapon. It’s designed to simply keep my officers safe.”
New capabilities
The Rook is constructed with rubber tracks, dual joystick controls, cameras, gun port holes, an enclosed cab with air conditioning and heat, bullet-proof glass and an armored reinforced cab, according to the sales brochure.
The Rook gives officers protection when crossing open territory, the manufacturer says. The vehicle can be used to deal with hostage rescue situations, barricaded suspects, riot scenes, or natural disasters, according to Shawn Mitchell, sales manager for Ring Power, the company that manufactures the Rook.
“Basically it’s designed to protect officers,” Mitchell said. “It lets them do things in a lot safer manner.”
The armor plating on the shield that comes with the Rook can stop a 30.06-caliber armored piercing round, Mitchell said.
The Rook has a starting sticker price of about $315,000, but can go up from there depending on what kind of attachments are purchased, Mitchell said. Training and some attachments are included when purchased at the starting price, Mitchell said.
“We usually spend about two days with officers making sure everyone is comfortable on how to use it,” Mitchell said.
The Rook allows officers to approach a structure without being exposed while covering open ground on foot. The Rook also has a platform that elevates, allowing officers to get into the second story of a house or building without a ladder. The raised platform also allows officers to search the area from the top down without using stairways to work their way up, according to Ring Power.
The Rook can also be used to deploy snipers to a rooftop. The Rook’s video system allows officers to see into areas that some robotic video cameras cannot access, the sales brochure said.
This story was originally published April 30, 2019 at 4:41 PM with the headline "Fort Worth SWAT officers get new armored vehicle designed to provide more protection."