The City of Henderson will seek grant funding to purchase an armored tactical response vehicle that will be used by the Henderson Police Department.
The cost of the vehicle is expected to be $371,950, according to a memo in Tuesday’s Henderson City Commission meeting agenda packet.
HPD Chief Billy Bolin said Jeannie Quattrochi, a project coordinator with the city who writes grants, will write a grant to the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security State Homeland Security Grant Program for half the projected cost, or $185,975. If the city is awarded the grant, it would need to match the other half to pay for the vehicle, said Mayor Brad Staton.
An armored tactical response vehicle is often used by law enforcement agencies during high-risk operations, such as when officers are dealing with an active shooter or other standoff situations.
Bolin told the Hendersonian that HPD wants to purchase a Lenco Bearcat, a vehicle widely used by police departments across the nation for SWAT-like operations.
Commissioner Robert Pruitt raised concerns of the vehicle being overused and that the military look of it could cause residents to become intimidated.
“I don’t want to see this at every crime,” he said.
Bolin responded that the Bearcat is a defensive tool and will be used in more dangerous situations, such as serving high-risk warrants. He estimated that the vehicle would be used once a month in these certain situations.
He said a main reason for obtaining the Bearcat is to keep officers safe. For example, if there is an active shooter at a scene with a person down, Bolin said HPD currently has no vehicle that could be used to help the person while also keeping officers safe.
“We do have a need for it here in Henderson,” Bolin said.
The need for a vehicle like this was first brought to the city commission at a February 2025 work session when Bolin made a down-the-road request to purchase a Bearcat.
Staton in that meeting said he’d like to make the purchase for HPD but it ultimately didn’t occur because the mayor said Tuesday he wanted to find a more affordable approach. The full price—without grant funding—at the time was $337,000, according to the Lenco Bearcat’s website in a Hendersonian article then.
Additionally, Bolin said then more people today have access to high-powered rifles that shoot bullets that can pierce through normal vehicles. The Bearcat is built with half-inch armor that can withstand shots from high-powered rifles, according to its website.
Bolin said on Tuesday also said that a piece written in the grant will be the offer of assisting with the Bearcat to neighboring jurisdictions, such as in Union or Webster counties. It could also be to provide backup to the Evansville Police Department or the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office, which both have a Bearcat.
