Tiny, touristy, laid-back Santa Fe is armed to the teeth against … whatever. Which were the other 4 towns? Reserve? How many did Wyoming get? mjh

ABQjournal: Santa Fe SWAT Team Unveils Its New Armored Bearcat By Jeremy Pawloski, Journal Staff Report

The Santa Fe Police Department’s SWAT Team has a new toy— a $250,000, armor-plated, bullet-resistant black Bearcat.

The Bearcat is built to intimidate, with gunports on its sides and huge wheels that can take it offroad virtually anywhere.

Primarily, the vehicle will be used in any situation that the SWAT Team needs it— hostage situations, extracting barricaded subjects, serving “high-risk” search warrants in narcotics investigations and protecting visiting dignitaries, according to Santa Fe SWAT Commander Lt. Gary Johnson. …

The five Bearcats distributed to various SWAT teams across New Mexico were paid for with state and federal Homeland Security grant money, according to Santa Fe SWAT Team Leader Officer John Schaerfl.

Schaerfl said the Bearcat has a built-in radiation detector and an “explosive atmosphere detector” that will sound an alarm in the event of a potentially explosive gas leak. A porthole at the top of the Bearcat allows SWAT members to peek outside. The vehicle also has air-conditioning and a CD player.

Gary Johnson said the Bearcat could be utilized in the event of any potential terrorist threats in New Mexico.