A recent article by Lebtown—a Lebanon County, PA News Publisher—provided a detailed testimonial of the County’s use of their BearCat G3 since purchasing it in 2022. Find out how the BearCat has yielded positive impacts for the Pennsylvania county by strengthening Law Enforcement capabilities, and even by building trust amongst the community.
A Response to Tragedy: The Purchase of the BearCat
The decision to purchase the BearCat in Lebanon County came after the tragic death of Lt. William Lebo, a Lebanon City police officer who was killed on duty in 2022. The event highlighted the need for law enforcement to be better equipped to handle dangerous, high-risk situations, especially when faced with individuals who may be armed or willing to resist arrest.
“I was determined after that incident that the good that was going to come out of this was a BearCat that was going to keep cops safe and people safe, and we were going to name it Unit 121 after Lt. Lebo’s badge.”
–Pier Hess-Graf, District Attorney for Lebanon County
The BearCat as a De-Escalation Tool
The Lenco BearCat is not just a tactical asset, but a powerful de-escalation tool that helps save lives and maintain peace.
“What we found with the BearCat and what we are trained on with the BearCat, including from the day we picked it up, is really what you’re supposed to look at that vehicle as: a de-escalation tactic. So when you look at that vehicle pulling up to the front of your house, it obviously has different capabilities. It has a different size. It has just a much more impressive presence than a marked, typical patrol car with lights on top of it.”
Hess-Graf goes on to describe how the mere presence of a BearCat vehicle has provided Law Enforcement with the ability to resolve incidents without dangerous confrontation.
“A fortunate aspect of using it, and we have been called out to scenes where we had concerns about, is the person going to submit peacefully? Is the person alone in the house? Is that person a danger to himself or others or the police? When we pull up in that vehicle and we say, ‘We are the police, we are here for you, we have a warrant for you, come out,’ they all come out. And I think that’s the difference: you see the capability of law enforcement before you’re ever face-to-face with law enforcement.”
Beyond Tactical Use: The BearCat as a Community PR Tool
While the BearCat is essential in high-risk operations, it also serves Lebanon County as a Public Relations tool, helping to improve the image of law enforcement in the community.
“I believe it’s a great thing and I want people in the community to feel like they can reach out to us and use us as a resource or as a tool.”
As Pier Hess-Graf points out, the BearCat isn’t just a tactical tool but also a powerful symbol that represents law enforcement’s capability to protect the community while maintaining professionalism—and, more importantly, doing so with minimal harm to suspects, officers, or the public.
More Information
For more information, refer to the entire article, originally reported by Lebtown at https://lebtown.com/2025/02/05/the-bearcat-is-a-beast-in-the-arsenal-of-lebanon-county-law-enforcement/.