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The Livermore Police Department is on track to swap out its aging armored rescue vehicle late next year, given the Livermore City Council’s unanimous support for buying a new ARV during a recent meeting.
Quoted at $534,356, the 2025 Lenco BearCat G3 4-Wheel Drive Armored Vehicle is approved for purchase through the Citizen’s Option for Public Safety state grant. This grant covers the full cost of the purchase and may only be used for public safety purposes.
The new vehicle is set to replace the department’s 2006 GMC C4500 Armored Truck, which has reached its life expectancy and received staff’s recommendation for replacement based on its age and condition, according to a report prepared by city of Livermore public works supervisor Scott Kooreman.
The council adopted a resolution June 9, authorizing the purchase order for one BearCat G3 as part of its consent calendar — composed of items that are typically considered routine and passed by a single motion.
During the meeting, one public commenter suggested that routing approximately half a million dollars to social services would create a safer community than the purchase of an ARV.
But according to LPD Captain of the special operations division John Reynolds, the new tool ensures that the police department is prepared to respond effectively and safely if and when the need arises.
“It’s better to have the piece of equipment and not have a need for it, than to need it and not have it,” Livermore Mayor John Marchand said during the meeting. “We’re talking about protecting the community and we don’t know what to expect, so it’s better to be prepared.”
LPD’s current ARV was purchased from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for one dollar in 2014, according to the city staff report.
In recent years, it has been used in “operational settings” 11 times in 2022, seven times in 2023 and 11 times in 2024, according to Reynolds.
But the GMC is difficult to service and maintain, since replacement parts are hard to locate and purchase, Reynolds explained.
“These variables increase the safety hazard for police department staff who need to operate it at a moment’s notice,” Reynolds said of the current ARV.
Of the new BearCat G3, Reynolds said, “This ARV is a tool and ensures we are prepared to respond effectively and safely if and when the need arises.”
As for the new vehicle’s maintenance , it is expected to cost less than that of the GMC, which averaged upwards of $8,000 in annual repair and maintenance expenses.
During the meeting, City Manager Marianna Burch also attested to the new ARV as being an essential tool.
“The purchase of this vehicle could help us secure our community better and respond to incidents,” Burch said.
The sole public commenter Alan Marling lamented the use of approximately half a million dollars to purchase an ARV.
Marling asked rhetorically, how many meals, medications, therapy sessions and beds that money would provide for those in need.
“Those services and more could rescue people from desperate straits and if they were less desperate, then they would be less likely to commit crime in the first place,” Marling said.
However, the COPS state grant that is funding the new ARV can only be used for public safety purposes, Burch reminded the council.
Councilmember Kristie Wang later sympathized with Marling, but affirmed the grant’s use for public safety.
“My first reaction was similar to our speaker, that we’re in a time of great need for our social services,” Wang said. “But this is a state grant that’s intended for a specific purpose. We can’t use it for those things if we wanted to.”
LPD expects delivery of the new vehicle sometime in late 2026, given an approximate production time of 12 to 18 months, according to Reynolds.
The quoted price tag of BearCat G3 includes $486,025 for the vehicle itself and $48,331 for use tax. The pricing is not-to-exceed 10% of the original quote, according to the staff report.
“We understand that the purchase of the new armored rescue vehicle may raise concerns among a few members of the community,” Reynolds said. “Our intention with this acquisition is solely to enhance public safety for our officers and community during critical incidents.”
