I suspect that is due more to lack of funds than lack of desire. LE didn't hesitate one bit to use Bradleys and CEVs at Waco when Wesley Clark offered them up. If they'd put up a single Abrams on the 1033 program, I'm guessing no shortage of agencies would be competing for it.
IIRC, Detroit PD had an APC for awhile. It was used a few times, failed miserably and was quietly retired.
CC
“LE didn’t hesitate one bit to use Bradleys and CEVs at Waco when Wesley Clark offered them up.”
That wasn’t LE at Waco. They were state-sponsored terrorist organizations which included elements of the FBI and ATF. The purpose of these terrorist groups is to inflict casualties on women, children and babies in order to spread terror among the population, while avoiding all confrontations with armed men.
Himmler’s Nazi einzengruppen is an early example of a modern state-sponsored terrorist organization. Here’s one example of how to deal with terrorist cowards:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtgJ4FjYu18