HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – From a distance it looks like a small tank, but It’s called The Rook, an armored critical incident vehicle.
You could call it a military grade, super machine, that the Harris County Sheriff’s Department has deployed over 50 times over the past year to help the SWAT team take down armed gunman barricaded inside a house or a building.
“The Rook is used to save lives and it is a game changer when it comes to handling situations where hostages are involved, peoples lives are at risk, including our deputies lives,” said Bryan Buccini, SWAT team leader for the Harris County Sheriff’s Department.
Just last Thursday night, Harris County deputies used The Rook to punch giant holes into the house where armed fugitive Terran Green was holding officers at bay and refusing to put down his weapons and come out.
The Rook, a $300,000 multi-use machine, can be used as a battering ram, as a bullet proof shield to protect officers.
It can be used to raise officers up to three stories high and can be used to break down doors, punch holes in buildings and roofs or tear holes in buildings.
Utilizing it’s giant steel nose, it can tear out windows or be used to push cars or trucks out of the way, all while protecting the lawmen who are called to these standoff scenes with violent offenders.
“We use it not to destroy, but to save the lives of hostages, bystanders, first responders, even the perpetrators themselves,” said Buccini.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Department purchased The Rook in 2020 and is among several law enforcement agencies in the Houston Metro area to use such a device.