Colorado Springs police showcase ‘Rook’ rescue vehicle

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - Several viewers reached out to 11 News after seeing a strange piece of police equipment parked in downtown Colorado Springs in early September. We were able to get a closer look at the “Rook.”

The Rook is a modified construction vehicle used to save people in some high-risk situations, like those involving hostages and barricaded suspects.

“They took a piece of equipment that’s used on, you know, thousands of construction projects around the world and they slapped some armor on there,” Tre Pinyerd, a bomb tech with the Colorado Springs Police Department, explained when showing us the Rook up close.

The department got the vehicle with a grant two years ago for about $300,000. Police said that it’s well worth it.

“Every time we’ve used it it’s been really successful for us,” said Robert Wolf, supervisor of the Tactical Enforcement Unit. “We had an incident where the vehicle was taking multiple handgun rounds, we were able to keep it in position and maintain security for the public.”

A number of features work to help make rescues go as smooth as possible, including a front platform that holds up to four officers and can reach up to a building’s third story, an armored body with rifle-rated glass, and extra space for officers in the back of the vehicle.

The Rook is providing a few more layers of protection in an effort to protect and serve.

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