IPD Officers Getting High-Powered Assault RiflesDepartment Receives 200 M-16 A-1 Assault Rifles

heindychannel ^ | August 14, 2003

[InvisibleChurch]

TheIndyChannel.com IPD Officers Getting High-Powered Assault Rifles Department Receives 200 M-16 A-1 Assault Rifles

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indianapolis Police Department has a new high-powered weapon in its arsenal after taking possession of more than 200 M-16 A-1 assault rifles this week.

The rifles will be selectively deployed throughout the force, RTV6's Jack Rinehart reported.

Police say the weapon is more powerful, more accurate and gives an officer a greater chance for survival on the streets.

"It would give the patrol officer an opportunity to respond with a level of force equal to any civilian counterpart," IPD firearms instructor Lon Harness (pictured, below) said.

In the past year, Indianapolis police officers have seized more than 200 illegal, but similarly-sized weapons from the street, Rinehart reported.

IPD officers have also come under attack at least six times from suspects armed with assault-style weapons in the past year. Almost two years ago, Marion County Sheriff's Deputy Jason Baker was killed while the suspects held two police agencies at bay for hours with an assault rifle.

"It gives the guys an opportunity to do something that they might not otherwise be able to do with their pistol," Officer James Gray said.

Each shift and policing district will have the rifles available around the clock. Officers on the beat will use them to defend themselves and the public in situations where suspects are actively shooting.

"What did we learn at Columbine? The police show up, they do a perimeter, and they wait for SWAT to come up. Now SWAT has excellent response time, but when you have people actively being killed on the inside, we have to move," IPD Chief Jerry Barker said.

Not every officer will get a rifle. Barker said the department will go through a careful selection process looking for officers who combine good judgment with proficiency with a firearm, Rinehart reported.

The rifles should be on the street by the end of the year.

[InvisibleChurch]

[Cold Heat]

LOL!

Great street weapon huh?

What a bunch of crap.

[coloradan]

Police say the weapon is more powerful, more accurate and gives an officer a greater chance for survival on the streets.

Well then they would be perfect for civilians ... who also want to avoid stray shots and who wish to survive on the streets. Indianapolis police officers have seized more than 200 illegal, but similarly-sized weapons from the street, Rinehart reported.

What is an "illegal weapon" when the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed?

"What did we learn at Columbine? The police show up, they do a perimeter, and they wait for SWAT to come up.

We learned that SWAT teams are cowards when people are shooting ... the CO SWAT teams had machine guns, they just didn't want to enter.

The rifles should be on the street by the end of the year.

But, I thought you wanted to get guns off the street. Be sure to tell the VPC of your plans to put these assault rifles on the streets.

[jra]

That department should buy 20 of them--that way word gets out on the street that they have them.

Assuming they got 20, the ENTIRE department could practice with them, and 4 or 5 dedicated snipers could have their OWN weapon, sighted in the way they want.

If more than 2 or 3 of these EVER get fired in an actual police operation, I'll eat my shorts.

Indianapolis PD has no need whatsoever for 200 of these weapons.

[Servant of the Nine]

After the Bank Robber shootout in LA a few years ago when cops faced robbers in body armour, all police cars should have a decent rifle in the trunk.

SO9

[Barry Goldwater]

My thinking too. What ever happened to the good old shotgun?

Other police departments keep a shotgun in the car.

[MineralMan]

"After the Bank Robber shootout in LA a few years ago when cops faced robbers in body armour, all police cars should have a decent rifle in the trunk."

I agree, but the M-16 isn't the one I'd recommend. Better, in cases like the Bank thing would be a good quality scoped deer rifle, with officers trained to shoot the darned thing. Most of the big police shootings I read about are rife with shots sprayed all over the place. How about the cops learn how to shoot accurately from cover?

If you're dealing with a mob, then the M-16 might be useful to spray rounds, but that's a rare, rare situation. In most cases, what's needed is accurate fire to take out one or three bad guys. The M-16 isn't the right weapon for that job.

[Servant of the Nine]

The M-16 isn't the right weapon for that job.

No, it isn't, but it is adequate, and I believe these are surplus M-16A1s they got free from the Defense Dept.

So9

[fourdeuce82d]

accurate fire to take out one or three bad guys. The M-16 isn't the right weapon for that job.

sure is in single shot mode...

[coloradan]

Another lesson from LA is that all bank robbers should use full autos ... for all the 100s of round fired, there were zero fatalities of civilians or police officers. If those bank robbers had a bolt rifle with three rounds only, there would probably be three dead people, because the robbers would have bothered to aim, knowing they only had three rounds.

[phasma proeliator]

"It would give the patrol officer an opportunity to respond with a level of force equal to any civilian counterpart,"

This is just simply not true...

[Sender]

Police (nor citizens) do not "spray rounds", as even an cop would be in hot water if they opened up on a scene using full auto. They will undoubtedly use semiautomatic fire, and the M16 should be accurate enough for any situation not requiring a sniper...who will be carrying that scoped deer rifle you mentioned.

[MineralMan]

"Another lesson from LA is that all bank robbers should use full autos ... for all the 100s of round fired, there were zero fatalities of civilians or police officers. If those bank robbers had a bolt rifle with three rounds only, there would probably be three dead people, because the robbers would have bothered to aim, knowing they only had three rounds."

Well, you have a point. However, that incident would have ended much faster had more cops been equipped with accurate rifles they had been trained on. Half a dozen cops, backed off 100 yds and on higher ground, could have picked off the robbers, one at a time, with well-places shots.

I really dislike the quasi-military nature of today's police departments. They aren't fighting a war; they're fighting individual criminals. One criminal; one shot.

[MineralMan]

"They will undoubtedly use semiautomatic fire"

Then provide them with semi-auto weapons. Seems simple enough.

[SJSAMPLE]

I don't know how Indy is going to do it, but I believe that LA converted their military surplus A1s to semi-auto only. Smart move. The M16/AR15 is light, easy to use, ergonomic and the risk of overpenetration with standard 55gr FMJ is LESS than that of a full 147gr 9mm subgun load. I have no problem with police carrying a semi-auto rifle in the trunk.

Semi-auto is excellent for aimed fire under duress. However, automatic fire is useful only for "suppression" and not applicable for LE uses.

[Lion Den Dan]

After the Bank Robber shootout in LA

The LA cops could not shoot for beans and often would not break cover when the perp was 20 feet away (car length) and facing away from the officer. An M16 will not cure craven cowardice.

[in the Arena]

Not every officer will get a rifle. Barker said the department will go through a careful selection process looking for officers who combine good judgment with proficiency with a firearm, Rinehart reported.

I thought all LEO had to exhibit those traits...

Rinehart just opened the door for law suits against the department where officers that don't "combine good judgment proficiency with a firearm" i.e. those not issued and M16A1 are involved in a shooting with their sidearm...

[ExSoldier]

"After the Bank Robber shootout in LA a few years ago when cops faced robbers in body armour, all police cars should have a decent rifle in the trunk."

Only if it can be shown they are more accurate with that weapon and at least able to qualify as "sharpshooter" if not "expert" with their assigned duty handgun.

Most cops can not shoot well!!!

In LA they would have been able to end the action in minutes with a simple .30-30 deer rifle in lever action if they'd been able to make the head shot! Max effective range on the 5.56mm rd is 460 meters. I can just see dozens of "Kent State" scenarios when jittery cops start prayin' and sprayin' and they miss.

[in the Arena]

Kind of makes you go WTF !!!

[Joe Brower]

The militarization of our local police forces continues. You have to love all the arguments presented to validate this. Yeah, any excuse will do. Of course, those same reasons lose all validity when applied to us peons. Are we noticing a pattern here?

These are surplus M16s from the federal DOD with all the federal strings attached.

And when innocent citizens are caught in the crossfire, the state government will use all the taxpayers dollars necessary to exonerate itself.

Neat, huh?