I suspect the actual purpose of the MRAP vehicles is to give money to their manufacturers. However, they massively over-militarize civilian authorities. I’ve written about this before, but here goes again. I had two elderly tenants in a singlewide mobile home. Apparently, he was beating her as they spent 99.99% of their time drunk. She called the sheriff and three of them showed up. The deputies noticed 48 10’’ pot plants within sight of the door. The two were so drunk the cops put them to bed. That night a SWAT team with an MRAP broke MY door off the hinges and arrested the couple. There were 12 SWAT members and an MRAP. I suppose I’m lucky they didn’t ram the MRAP through my mobile home. Tell me, were not three deputies sufficient to arrest two elderly people who were so drunk they had to be put to bed? Why was it necessary to use 12 SWAT members and an MRAP? (Answer, because they get OT and hazard pay and they have the MRAP.)
The local police are over-militarized. Look at how they act in Venezuela. They use their MRAP’s as mobile pill boxes and shoot unarmed civilians from them. Is that what we want?
At the same time, the police are becoming much more violent. Before, say 1995, I never recall a cop shooting a dog. If they were attacked they had pepper spray and probably Tasers. Now, officers seem to shoot just because they can. I used to love my local cops. I worked on charity events that benefited them, bought K9’s etc. I now fear my local cops. Their very nature has changed.
To gain publicity and help just the next over the top expenditure.
Got to show the public they are putting their military gear to use. Or they won't get funding for the next stuff.