This is just specious bullsh!t. Most of the types of 'mass shootings' this 'writer' tries to ascribe to this stupid statement were OVER before the police got there, or before they even had time to get a lumbering MRAP on scene.
In reality, she has no basis for the statement save the Democrat Dogma that says "Democrat government (police) good, Conservative (police) bad."
I don’t have an issue with military surplus vehicles being gifted to localities. I remember growing up in rural New England where the small towns all had various combinations of surplus deuce and a halfs, halftracks, DUKWs and Dodge 3/4 ton weapons carriers. Which were gifted under the auspices of “civil defense” and proved pretty useful in things like weather related emergencies.
These vehicles are paid for and have good capabilities in the “heavy rescue” area. However they SHOULDNT go to the PDs so that local cops can swagger around in black fatigues/ tac gear thinking that they’re suddenly SWAT. They should be painted Red or yellow or dayglo green and handed to local FDs/emergency rescue orgs.
I am going to tell you why I think it is a mistake to turn down military gear for police departments.
That gear is as close to being in the hands of the people as it could possibly be without giving it directly to the people.
Not all cops and people woking for the cops are fans of slavery.
Folks the three choices are:
1. Do nothing and resolve yourself and your families to being slaves or maybe serfs of the empire and the emperor.
2. SECEDE.
3. And if this is your choice then you will want that military gear within arms reach, Revolution aka civil war.
Choices one and three are not options for me.
There MAY be some PD’s refusing them, but there are more accepting them - eagerly:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jan/23/pentagon-giving-away-13k-mraps-free-allies-local-l/
http://whowhatwhy.com/2014/02/17/police-state-gears-up/
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/57358599-78/police-program-utah-1033.html.csp
http://www.harborcountry-news.com/articles/2014/01/31/news/doc52d6a72b30ea9657912899.txt
“saying recent mass shootings show any local force could find itself facing an extremely violent or dangerous situation.”
Against what, one or two crazy people, a couple of kids,
two or three CAIR people? This is BS. This is the arming
of jackboots, nothing more.
The real action is going to have to happen at state level, with “police de-paramilitarization laws”.
The first part of the law gives the state governor and attorney general the authority to prescribe what equipment police departments in the state are allowed to have and use.
Equipment outside of this list, unless granted special waivers by the state for special needs, must be turned over to their respective county Sheriff for storage and safekeeping. (This is a necessary requirement for those who argue that the police departments might need it in the future.) And it can only be used either by the Sheriff’s office, or for a limited time and use based on the written warrant of a country judge. Likewise, no police agency below the level of county Sheriff can have or use a SWAT team.
The second part of this law prohibits all direct contact between city police departments and the federal government, in either direction. This means grants from the feds, of money and/or equipment, and information exchange, must go through the state. In the case for requests for cooperation, they can only happen through their respective county Sheriff’s office, with their acquiescence.
The third part of the law is to change the curriculum of the state police academies, so there is minimal SWAT training, moving in the direction of civilian, not paramilitary, policing.
Serious question:
Are there any stories of local police departments using this equipment successfully to save lives in situations where other more traditional gear would not have worked?
MRAPs are generally very survivable, but they’re also a pretty easy mobility kill. Just the nature of the beast. In the end it’s about who’s riding inside them, and I can’t say I’d be terribly worried on that front. Now if it was a squad of Infantry Soldiers...well, then I’d be worried.
Thanks for the ping.
I’m in CT but ofen visit Keene and lately the area near Milford ...
