Posted on 07/28/2013 1:25:42 PM PDT by Army Air Corps
WOLFFORTH, TX (KCBD) - Wolfforth has taken advantage of something that many other communities across the South Plains haven't. It's called the 1033 program, a program that makes outdated military equipment available to law enforcement agencies.
The Wolfforth Police Department says it has received several useful multi-purpose vehicles worth several hundred thousand dollars.
The department says the only cost was a $6,000 entrance fee to the program, and the expense of picking up the vehicles.
Wolfforth Police Chief Rick Scott says one vehicle in particular, a humvee, was helpful back in June, when those powerful storms hit.
"The highway was flooded. Cars stranded in the middle of the highway and families in these cars. None of our police cars could get through that water, so we took the humvee out there and were able to get people out of the middle of this flood," Scott said.
The department has also received a dump truck for code enforcement.
Chief Scott says they use it to pick up illegally-dumped items, which helps with community upkeep.
Wait till they find out what Humvee parts cost.
Well, they have less than 4,000 residents, so it may take a while for their cops to get to wannabe commando status.
I don't know why LEO would want to brag about this sort of thing to the press.
I look to the day when states will pass “police demilitarization acts” that will strip the police departments in their states of military equipment designed to fight wars, not perform peacetime civilian police work.
Of course the police will bitterly complain that they *need* such things as belt fed machine guns, fragmentary grenades, and tracked armored vehicles; but the way around this is to then take this equipment from police department, give it to the control and management by county Sheriffs, and forbidding its use without an explicit, written warrant.
This says to the police that though the federal government authorizes warrantless searches, this state does not. And that police already have the equipment they need to carry out their role; if they need more, they must get the approval of a judge *and* the Sheriff.
I had to look this one up. From the location, I’m sure I’ve been through there.
But typical of small towns in that area (I could say some names like Abernathy, Slidell, Olton, etc.) it is apparently very forgettable.
I was just telling She Who Must Be Obeyed how our hometown of Garland doubtless has a few armored trucks. I’ve never seen them but they are here, parked not far from my home no doubt. I just wonder about drones. There are these black vultures that hang out around here, hmmmmmmm ....
Its not paranoia if they really are out to get me, is it ;)
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