Although hardly the most advanced or sophisticated of its kind in today’s market, Quikscell Company’s CellCo Ranger is arguably the most common example of the typical heavy law enforcement vehicle, with many variants of its design a common sight on the streets of major cities throughout Lyran space and beyond. Originally designed as an armored personnel carrier for use in urban combat environments, the current incarnation of the Ranger, the UPU-3000, first surfaced during the closing years of the Third Succession War. But while the design was remarkable for its use of less advanced technology than commonly available to military units of the day-making the UPU (Urban Pacification Unit) nominally easier to maintain in the scavenger culture that dominated
the Inner Sphere at the time-these features failed to override the vehicle’s somewhat higher cost and its inherent weaknesses compared to military-grade APCs of the day, at least in the eyes of the LCAF Quartermasters. The Ranger thus quickly became a staple not of the LCAF, but of various police agencies throughout the Commonwealth.
         Light, but comparatively slow, the Ranger is not powered for pursuit, but for containment of trouble spots within dense urban areas.   Its well-armored hide protects its cargo of up to seven SWAT troops in full riot gear against small arms and most support-grade weaponry, and can even repel most light military-grade weapons with ease. The Ranger’s weapons-typically a turreted
support machine gun and two liquid sprayers (hard-mounted front and rear) for crowd
control-must be aimed and operated manually by the vehicle’s crew. Unfortunately, the Ranger’s cramped interior is designed for only three crewmen-one driver, one communications officer and one gunner in the vehicle’s turret blister, which means that the vehicle’s passengers must man the spray cannons as necessary, aiming these crowd control weapons with little more aid than the limited field of vision their armored viewport slits offer.
         Despite the drawbacks that led to its failure as a military APC, the Ranger’s basic design has proven most effective for highly trained law enforcement units and corporate security forces throughout Lyran and FedSuns space. Modified versions of this vehicle have seen use as armored cars and even mobile command centers for various corporate and security agencies throughout the former FedCom states.