This article was published at 2:40 p.m. and erroneously attributed a text message below to a name attached to a memo, but has been corrected at of 3:00 p.m..
The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office recently allowed a Savannah area family to utilize a $275,000 BearCat armored vehicle for a wedding event in Chatham County. The vehicle, which is not owned exclusively by the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, was purchased several years ago for SWAT operations through a multi-agency effort paid for by tax dollars and funds from drug seizure accounts.
Though the BearCat is incredibly unique on its own, the vehicle was recently displayed in an entirely different element altogether, complete with music, rays of sunshine, and overall jubilee.
A video of a wedding party and others dancing on the BearCat with bubble guns while the blue lights are illuminated made its way to social media earlier this month, prompting outcry by taxpayers and others in law enforcement. A review of social media further revealed that a number of individuals were also seen standing on top of the BearCat in front of what appears to be the Savannah Trade & Convention Center. At least some of the social media posts were made by Love Patel, who was married on November 1 at that same location.
You can view a compilation of clips posted to social media below.
Who Owns the BearCat?
TheGeorgiaVirtue.com filed an Open Records Request with Chatham County to obtain documents related to the BearCat equipment and its intended use.
In the paperwork provided by Chatham County this week was a memo from Captain Daniel Flood dated July 23, 2025. Flood’s memo was addressed to ‘Chatham County ALCON’ regarding the SWAT BearCat. He wrote that the equipment was purchased in 2021 as part of a partnership between the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team (CNT) Confiscated Funds, and the Chatham County Police Department CIP. He wrote that the vehicle was purchased to allow SWAT “to operate in highly volatile and dangerous incidents involving firearms.” (emphasis added)
The equipment was purchased for $275,859 in 2021.
- $28,564.50 – Chatham County Sheriff’s Office budget
- $28,564.50 – Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Unit
- $218,730.00 – Chatham County Police CIP
Since the acquisition of the BearCat, it has been housed at the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office and maintenance and other items have been cost-shared across accounts. In 2022, the CNT Confiscated Funds account paid $5,000 for the shipping of the BearCat itself. In FY 2022, approximately $16,185.42 in maintenance was paid for out of the SWAT budget, and $311.80 for headlamps in FY 2023.
Actual pictures of the BearCat can be found on the Sheriff’s Office Facebook page, as it is routinely used for CCSO events, in addition to SWAT operations.
The BearCat & the Wedding
A source who spoke to TheGeorgiaVirtue.com on the condition of anonymity indicated that Deputy Hannah Jewell, who works for the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, was seen driving the BearCat on the day the videos appeared on social media.
Additionally, a text message sent by Lt. Derrick Frink*, was provided to TheGeorgiaVirtue.com. The text message was reportedly sent to others within the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office. In it, Frink wrote:
Good morning
In reference to the bearcat. I was asked by the sheriff to attend this function. This was a wedding for some colleagues of his. The group of people were very polite and respectful of our equipment. Nothing was damaged the vehicle was never in motion when they were standing on it for a photo op. There were numerous high dollar vehicles at this event which some cost way more than our bearcat. This was a call that I made and if there was any damage that would have occurred I would have taken full responsibility for it. I feel this was blown way out of proportion and if anyone has anything they would like to discuss with me questions, comments, or concerns please feel free to reach out to me. Putting this in the group chat does nothing but stir up a bunch of unnecessary drama in my opinion.
*This text message was initially erroneously attributed to another individual, an error on the part of the author. The text message was written by Lt. Frink.
Constitutional Concerns
The use of the vehicle at a private event, whether for compensation or as an in-kind gesture, raises grave concerns with the Gratuities Clause as outlined in the Georgia Constitution.
The Gratuities Clause is a section in the Georgia Constitution (See Article III, Section VI Paragraph VI) which prohibits the General Assembly from using tax dollars or state property to donate, offer a gratuity (a gift), or forgive a debt or other obligation of a private entity or individual.
In more recent years, the courts, including the Georgia Supreme Court, have ruled that the clause extends to local governments, and even hospital authorities, development authorities, school boards, and local pension boards.
The basis of the clause is that what is provided to one citizen must be provided to all, in order to be equitable under the law. Essentially, if the BearCat is taken for private events for one individual, it must be made available in the same capacity for everyone. Exceptions are only made for public welfare issues, indigent care, or when there is a direct benefit to the public.
Formal Agreement with Chatham County Police Department for Vehicle Use
TheGeorgiaVirtue.com also requested copies of “any formal or informal agreement between the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office and the Chatham County Police Department with regard to any SWAT equipment.” No such documentation was provided, meaning a written agreement has not been in place over the last four years.
In response to the Open Records Request, the attorney for Chatham County government noted that a formal SWAT policy agreement drafted by the Chatham County Police Department is awaiting the signature of the Sheriff. Because it pertains to ongoing legal matters, it is not currently subject to the Open Records Act.
The previously non-existent agreement suggests that the interagency sharing of the equipment existed without issue until recently.
The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office did not return requests for comment.
I did not read the entire article but I do have a question. I would love to se what maintenance was done and the reason to need new head lights on a $300k vehicle that is only 2 years old and very seldom used if at all that would cost $16497.22.
The invoice attached to the amount was itemized as “$14,552 for a gas injector unit, $1295 for a gas injector storage basket” and $338 & some change for shipping/handling.
Worth noting the gas injector unit is an accessory for the Bearcat vehicles that allows officers to safely deploy chemical agents into a structure or vehicle from inside the safety of the bearcat.