Posted on 06/24/2014 6:04:03 AM PDT by bamahead
Robert Shellmyer was relieved to see last week at his hometown’s 175th anniversary celebration that the local police department’s new prized possession was not driving alongside the tractors and floats in the parade. That’s because a 45,000 pound, explosion-resistant vehicle from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan might spoil the mood.
Shellmyer, a 78-year-old city councilman for the small town of Washington, Iowa, was the sole local politician to vote against the department of 12 police officers getting the free MRAP—short for mine resistant ambush protected vehicle—from the Defense Department two months ago. Washington is one of hundreds of towns and cities to get a recycled MRAP from the Pentagon over the past year and a half.
“Here’s the thing,” Shellmyer says. “Washington, Iowa has 8,000 people. We have an MRAP now. We have a SWAT team. We have [police] dogs, and we have a SWAT team transportation vehicle that’s not armored.”
The city councilman began to think: “Goodness, this is overkill.”
--SNIP--
Because the Pentagon just started handing out the MRAPs in 2013, it’s unclear how they’re being used. Some SWAT teams just use them for transportation to a raid, but at least one department has used the vehicle to bust through a door. The ACLU wasn’t able to determine how often the vehicles were used by SWAT teams, according to the report’s author Kara Dansky.
Many of the armored vehicles end up in hamlets like Washington, which may seem surprising, except that SWAT teams have grown exponentially in small towns over the past 20 years. Kraska found that 80 percent of small towns had SWAT teams by the mid 2000s, up from just 20 percent in 1980. More than 90 percent of city departments have the special units.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
If it is small town police officers it would more likely be the same guys driving them who were driving them in Iraq and Afghanistan. Who do you think serves in our military? Hint: it is not progressives living in cities.
As a LEO for the past 23 years...i feel qualified to speak here. I work Fr a dept of about 100 sworn personnel. In the past, we have picked up small items of left over military equipment...cold weather gear, clothing, etc... We now have an MRAP vehicle. I will say this... They have their uses. We have had several barricade situations. In the past, the training has always been to contain, then let swat take over. Problem is, we can’t wait for swat anymore (columbine). Now every patrol officer is issued ar15’s, so we can engage a target accurately from a greater distance than possible with a pistol. They are more accurate than a shotgun in close quarters. They fill a need. As far as the MRAP, only use I can see for that is getting the swat team in or close to a building under fire. Schools around here have tremendous open “killing zones” around them, and should a group of motivated shbags take control of a school, actually getting personnel there in a timely fashion might be a little difficult. My point? They have their uses...but how they are used remains to be seen. Three more years and I am done...
Unfortunately, sooner or later some nit is going to use an overload of force on some granny for letting her dog run loose...
The little Nazi wannabes will be too busy trying to protect the lives of their families,no time to cruise around in their MRAP.I may not be able to countermeasure their machines,so I will have to go after the people who operate them.
Already happened, Easton CT a few years back.
I don’t have the link, but the CT Post did a good expose on what happened. Think Keystone Kops but with tactical gear, AR-15s, flash-bangs and an APC.
Raid was botched. A non-threat was terminated with extreme prejudice. Awards and Commendations were handed out.
I agree that they have their uses. however, the number of times an armored vehicle is needed by a local police force is far, far outweighed by the number of MRAPS being delivered.
With respect to Columbine (and Sandy Hook, and almost every other mass shooting), the presence of an MRAP would have made no difference whatsoever unless it had been on-scene prior to the shooter’s arrival.
At that point,things start to get interesting.Cops can’t be raiding homes and be protecting THEIR homes and families.The large columns of smoke would be their homes burning to the ground.
I tend to agree with you. A LOT of military surplus from WWII and Korea found it’s way into the hands of small towns in the 50s and 60s. Not just jeeps and deuce and a halfs ... Halftracks, Greyhound armored cars, DUKWs and even Sherman tanks (with the guns removed)
The difference is that rather than being painted black and handed to the cops they went to the local Fire/Rescue or Civil Defense orgs. Which is where these MRAPS should be going (altho dedicated Civil Defense orgs dont really exist any more). Paint them red or yellow or dayglo green, stencil “Heavy Rescue” on them and allow the cops to use them if/when there’s a school shooting or somesuch.
Another “friend” story that is probably true.
An ex in-law who is a state level LEO told my sons that he’s aware of several military vehicles in his part of the state at that are being “secretly” stored at rural fire departments.
The FD guys have been told to keep mum about it. So, dispersed and hidden away the equipment is waiting for use one day.
This wasn’t done after World War II because our Government didn’t see the American people as ‘the enemy’... Something’s twisted in Washington DC...
Ping.
Just re-allocated the resources to combat the “real terrorists” that are a threat to this nation. You know, those veterans with gadsden flag bumper stickers.
After all, we don’t need them any longer in the middle east. Remember, we recently found out that even the Gitmo residents are just nice guys that want to be left alone....
The list, Ping
Let me know if you would like to be on or off the ping list
This is what happened in Cornelia, GA. They need a SWAT team like they need a hole in the head. Its a burg. Now they have a baby with flash bang burns all over its face.
“This crap is out of control.”
Our government is out of control. But this is the end result of constant war, a government that is so far in debt, a government that spent 2 trillion on unwinnable wars so now, they are going to have to begin to now forcibly *govern* it’s citizens. Gotta love a big powerful military though, right?
Coming to a town near YOU.. in 3D, my friend.
“As wars wind down, small-town cops inherit armored vehicles”
Should read:
“As overseas wars wind down, the United States ramps up its *internal* wars against citizens.”
Those Nazi-wannabes can’t live inside those tin cans forever.
At the point where we are forced to defend ourselves against their assault, they are no longer "poor souls" or even fellow citizens; they are oppressors, part of the regime.
I’m sure the Prescient 4 constables can’t wait to get their hands on that baby.
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