Dozens of defense contractors showed off their latest gear and technology at the annual International Police Chief Association conference and exhibition this past week in Philadelphia. 
Everything from lethal and non-lethal weapons, body armor, drones, policing software, uniforms, and even vehicles were on display, including a new armored vehicle called "The Rook."
The Rook, designed by Ring Power Corporation, a heavy equipment company that modifies vehicles, is essentially an armored Caterpillar vehicle that has been modified for SWAT and other police units. 
It comes with four attachments and can be used for all kinds of scenarios, including hostage rescue, barricaded suspects, riots, and natural disasters.
At least 25 different police departments across the US have purchased one, and many more are interested, a Ring Power Corporation sales manager, Shaun Mitchell, told Business Insider Tuesday. 
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The Rook is built off a Caterpillar chassis that has been modified with armor, night vision, thermal imaging, multiple cameras, a wireless remote control and four attachments.

The Rook is named after the chess piece, meaning checkmate, Miller said. 
It was designed by a man named Jeremy Eckdahl about 10 years ago, but wasn’t marketed much until Ring Power Corporation bought the design 5 years ago.

Source: Shaun Mitchell, Ring Power Corporation. 
It retails for about $315,000 and has been sold to 25 police departments so far

The Rook was even used by the San Bernardino Police to take down Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, the married couple who carried out the terrorist attack in 2015. 
Here are some other police departments using The Rook:

New York Police Department
New Mexico State Police
Albuquerque Police
Pennsylvania State Police
Mississippi State Police
Jacksonville Police 
Boca Raton Police

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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