This article needs additional citations for verification .(April 2008) |
An armored vehicle (also known as an armored cash transport car, security van, or armored truck) is an armored van or truck used to transport valuables, such as large quantities of money or other valuables, especially for banks or retail companies. The armored car is typically a multifunctional vehicle designed to protect and ensure the wellbeing of the transported contents and guards. Typically customized on a basic van or truck chassis, they feature bullet-resistant glass, armor plating, and reinforced shells and cabs. Armored cars are designed to resist attempts at robbery and hijacking, being able to withstand bullets from most handguns and rifles, as well as extreme degrees of heat, explosives, and collisions.
The earliest form of armored transportation for valuables that actually went into production were the "ironclad" treasure wagons designed by the Cheyenne and Black Hills Stage Company during the American Old West. [1] Back then, a platoon of soldiers and cavalrymen were used to transport valuables such as gold safely across the lawless frontier. They were not always successful in escorting their valuables, and some robbers managed to hold up and rob these transports, such as what happened in the Wham Paymaster robbery and the Skeleton Canyon massacres. In Deadwood, the Cheyenne and Black Hills Stage Company suffered robberies along the criminal-infested Deadwood to Cheyenne trail that also resulted in the death of one of their shotgun messengers named Johnny Slaughter. To deter bandits and prevent future robberies, the Stage Company built two steel-plated treasure coaches named Slaughter (after the former shotgun messenger) and Monitor (after the famous USS Monitor in the American Civil War). The stagecoaches had 5/16th-inch thick steel plates, portholes for guards to shoot from, and inside of each coach was a strongbox with walls three inches thick that was bolted to the floor, and was said to be able to resist assaults for 24 hours. Although the stage coaches were impenetrable, they still left its driver and shotgun messenger unprotected. [1] On September 26, 1878, the Monitor was attacked by the Charles Carey Gang as it left Deadwood. The gang killed one of the passengers, stopped the carriage and took over $27,000 worth of gold and valuables.
Among the first armored cars built was the Bellamore Armored Motor Bank Car, of 1910, which was meant to function like the banking service armored cars of today, but also as a mobile bank branch. [2] It was built on an Autocar Type XXI truck. [3] It was not until Rolls-Royce came out with the Rolls-Royce Armoured Car in August 1914 that the first armored vehicle was introduced to the British military. The vehicle proved to be superior during the war, creating a demand for armored cars across the globe. In 1930, Mercedes-Benz introduced the Nürburg 460, which was an armored car used to protect the Pope, Pius XI. As the armored car became more and more popular, vehicle manufacturers around the world started creating their own versions.
This section needs additional citations for verification .(April 2021) |
Armored cars are most prominently used in the financial industry to transport currency, financial information, or other valuable assets.
Many jewelers use armored cars to transport jewelry and materials to their stores, as the valuable nature of such items make them vulnerable to potential robbery attempts. [4]
Some schools may use armored cars to transport money made by fundraisers or cafeterias. Some universities may have a university bank, and they may require an armored car to handle large amounts of money.
An armored shell and cab are customized on a basic van or truck chassis. These vehicles are designed to resist attempts at robbery and hijacking. Bullet-resistant glass and reinforced shells and cabs are designed to handle bullets from most handguns and rifles.
Some armored cars in certain countries may be cleared to have flashing warning lights or sirens. Most armored cars have a bullbar or strengthened bumper to ram through blockades or other road objects if under attack. They normally have CCTV cameras which are watched by the driver, recorded in the van and also recorded at a remotely located control room in case the in-van recordings are stolen by thieves or attackers. With the advent of GPS technology, armored cars are often equipped with tracking devices that can be monitored by the company, letting them see if the vehicle leaves the planned route. GPS can also be used to prevent the rear doors from opening except at designated locations, and can be combined with remote-control systems to disable the engine in the event of theft or hijacking.
A number of tools are applied to prevent access to the van by non-security staff including removing external door locks.
The vehicle may or may not be carrying armed guards. Such armored cars are usually operated by security firms, and are therefore often referred to as "security vans". [5]
Most armored cars have two to three occupants:
Armored car guards may wear bulletproof vests [7] and sometimes ballistic helmets. [6] Guards may be armed, sometimes with handguns on their person and shotguns or rifles in the vehicle. Armed guards are required to undergo firearms training and may require permits for being a guard or to carry an exposed firearm. Training may also include guidance on remaining calm in emergency situations, such as confronting armed criminals; assisting injured colleagues; notifying local law enforcement; following traffic rules; and choosing the safest routes for transportation. [6]
Five member states of the European Union, namely Denmark, Greece, Ireland, Sweden, and the Netherlands, as well as the United Kingdom, prohibit weapons during cash-in-transit (CIT) operations. [8] In parts of the United States, such as New York State, armored car guards are permitted to carry weapons after reasonable checks. [9] [10] In addition, armored car robberies, like bank robberies, are federal crimes in the United States which will always include the FBI. [11]
Intelligent banknote neutralisation systems are often used as an alternative to armored cars or as a complementary protection for CIT (for example, in semi-armored cars). [8]
Despite their primary function as a safe means to transport valuable materials from one place to another, armored cars are occasionally used for other purposes. For example, during the 1997 North Hollywood shootout, LAPD officers commandeered an armored car to extract wounded civilians and officers from the scene towards the end of the shootout. [12] This led to the introduction of specialized armored SWAT vehicles for such situations.
A police car is a ground vehicle used by police and law enforcement for transportation during patrols and responses to calls for service. A type of emergency vehicle, police cars are used by police officers to patrol a beat, quickly reach incident scenes, and transport and temporarily detain suspects, all while establishing a police presence and providing visible crime deterrence.
The 1986 FBI Miami shootout occurred on April 11, 1986, in Miami-Dade County, Florida, U.S., when a small group of field agents for the FBI attempted to apprehend William Russell Matix and Michael Lee Platt, who were suspected of committing a series of violent crimes in and around the Miami metropolitan area.
The North Hollywood shootout, also known as the Battle of North Hollywood, was a confrontation between two heavily armed and armored bank robbers, Larry Phillips Jr. and Emil Mătăsăreanu, and police officers in the North Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles on February 28, 1997. Both robbers were killed, twelve police officers and eight civilians were injured, and numerous vehicles and other property were damaged or destroyed by the nearly 2,000 rounds of ammunition fired by the robbers and police.
A SWAT vehicle, police armored vehicle, or police rescue vehicle is a non-military armored vehicle used by police tactical units to respond to incidents. They are most often in configurations similar to military light utility vehicles, infantry mobility vehicles, or armoured personnel carriers. They are generally designed to have armor that can sufficiently block high-caliber rounds, space to carry the unit's equipment, and sufficient passenger seating; some also allow for additional personnel to hang onto the side of the vehicle in transit.
A gun truck is an armored vehicle with one or more crew-served weapons, typically based on a military truck. Gun trucks often have improvised vehicle armor, such as scrap metal, concrete, gravel, or sandbags, which is added to a heavy truck.
The Brink's Company is an American cash handling company, headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. Its operations include cash-in-transit, ATM replenishment & maintenance, and cash management & payment services, such as vault outsourcing, money processing, intelligent safe services, and international transportation of valuables.
A shootout, also called a firefight, gunfight, or gun battle, is an armed confrontation entailing firearms between armed parties using guns, always entailing intense disagreement(s) between the fighting parties. The term can be used to describe any such fight, though it is typically used in a non-military context or to describe combat situations primarily using firearms.
The 1981 Brink's robbery was an armed robbery and three related murders committed on October 20, 1981, by several Black Liberation Army members and four former members of the Weather Underground, who were at the time associated with the May 19th Communist Organization. The plan called for the BLA members – including Kuwasi Balagoon, Sekou Odinga, Mtayari Sundiata, Samuel Brown and Mutulu Shakur – to carry out the robbery, with the M19CO members – David Gilbert, Judith Alice Clark, Kathy Boudin, and Marilyn Buck – to serve as getaway drivers in switchcars.
The Dragoon 300 AFV was produced by Arrowpointe Corporation during the 1980s. It was based on the automotive components of the United States Army's M113 APCs and 5-ton trucks. It resembles a larger V-150 Commando.
The Panhard EBR is an armoured car designed by Panhard for the French Army and later used across the globe, notably by the French Army during the Algerian War and by the Portuguese Army during the Portuguese Colonial War.
The Norco shootout was an armed confrontation between five heavily armed bank robbers and deputies of the Riverside County and San Bernardino County sheriffs' departments in Norco, California, United States, on May 9, 1980. Two of the five perpetrators and a sheriff's deputy were killed; eight other law enforcement officers, a civilian, and two other perpetrators were wounded; and massive amounts of gunfire damaged at least 30 police cars, a police helicopter, and numerous nearby homes and businesses.
An improvised fighting vehicle is an ad hoc combat vehicle resulting from modified or upgraded civilian or military non-combat vehicle, often constructed and employed by civilian insurgents, terrorists, rebels, mobsters, guerrillas, partisans, drug cartels, criminal organizations or other forms of non-state militias and irregular armies. Such modifications usually consist of grafting improvised armour plating and fixed crew-served weapons such as heavy machine guns or antiaircraft autocannons mounted onto the back of a utility vehicle or pickup truck.
Armoredcar or vehicle may refer to:
Non-military armoured vehicles are armoured vehicles used outside professional armed forces. While primarily invented and used for defense/internal conflicts from an equally well armed organized force, armour technology has found a number of other uses outside of this military context.
Loomis AB is a Swedish cash handling company. The modern company was formed in 1997 by the consolidation of two armoured security concerns, Wells Fargo Armored Service and Loomis Armored Inc. Their international network covers over 200 operating locations in the US and eleven Western European countries.
The Armadillo was an extemporized improvised armoured fighting vehicle produced in Britain during the invasion crisis of 1940–1941. Based on a number of standard lorry (truck) chassis, it comprised a wooden fighting compartment protected by a layer of gravel and a driver's cab protected by mild steel plates. Armadillos were used by the RAF Regiment to protect aerodromes and by the Home Guard.
Cash-in-transit (CIT) or cash/valuables-in-transit (CVIT) is the physical transfer of banknotes, coins, credit cards and items of value from one location to another. The locations include cash centers and bank branches, ATM points, bureaux de change, large retailers and other premises holding large amounts of cash, such as ticket vending machines and parking meters.
The STREIT Group Spartan is an armoured personnel carrier designed and built by STREIT Group; it is also license produced by KrAZ in Kremenchuk, Ukraine.
KamAZ Typhoon is a family of Russian multi-functional, modular, armored Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles manufactured by the Russian truck builder KAMAZ. The Typhoon family is part of Russia's Typhoon program. As of 2021, the number of Typhoons in the Russian Armed Forces fleet was about 330 units of Typhoon-K.
Throughout the protracted conflict in Northern Ireland (1960s-1998), the Provisional IRA developed a series of improvised mortars to attack British Army and Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) security bases. The organisation also purchased both light and heavy machine guns in order to hamper the British Army supply of border bases by helicopter. The IRA fitted vehicles, specially vans and trucks, with both types of weapons. Vans, trucks and tractors were modified to transport concealed improvised mortars to a launch area near the intended target and fire them, while light and heavy trucks were employed as firing platforms mounting machine guns, particularly M60s and DShKs. Improvised armoured vehicles and heavy equipment were also used to penetrate the perimeter of fortified security bases. The IRA vehicles were often disguised as belonging to civilian companies or even government agencies.